Long Way To Happy
by LittletonPace
Summary: *Original Character Centric* *Sequel to We Fall Down* *Alternate season 5* The apocalypse is well under way, and everyone has a part to play according to the angels. Where does Andie stand? What's her destiny when it comes to the end of the world?
1. Nowhere Man

**A/N:** Welcome to Season 5 of Supernatural with my original character Andie Morgan. If you haven't read her before; I suggest you read my season 3 and 4 fics, Counting Down The Days & We Fall Down. Links to both are in my profile. But if you don't want to read all that, and I don't blame you, here's a short bio on Andie:

Her father, Dylan, was killed by a demon when she was 3, her mother, Lily, committed suicide when she was 9, she left the group home she was living at when she was 13 and grew up on the streets. She came to America from Australia when she was 20 which is when she met her best friend, fellow hunter Cassidy. She is half-angel, her Grandmother Ellie is a full-angel, and has three angelic powers in telekinesis, the fact that she can't easily be killed and mental location (the ability to simply _know_ where places and people are), however she is not on angel radar and many of them consider her a parasite. She is married to Dean (the wedding a last ditch effort to save Dean's soul back in season 3 believing it'll save him from hell – it doesn't) and they have a very complicated but strong relationship.

_Disclaimer: _This story follows the episodes of season 5 and though it may use the dialogue; I do not take that work as my own. That plus the characters and world of Supernatural belong to the show and its creators.

**Chapter 1:**

_Nowhere Man_

As quick as a blink, Andie's eyes snapped open. It took her mind a few seconds to adjust to what her eyes were seeing. No longer was she in a church; instead she was on a plane staring at various passengers drinking tea or working on crossword puzzles.

_A plane?_

"Andie?"

She realized she hadn't let out the breath she was holding in. Exhaling, Andie turned to her right and saw both Sam and Dean looking as horrified as she was. "What the Hell just happened?" Dean asked frantically under his breath.

Andie shook her head, forcing herself to blink,"I dunno...we were just there and then we were just... here." She could see out the window beside Dean. "And here is a thousand miles up in the air!"

"No, no, no..." Dean closed his eyes and gripped the arms of his seat. "God, I hate flying."

Over the intercom, the calm pilot's voice delivered a message. "Folks, quick word from the flight deck. We're just passing over Ilchester, then Ellicott City, on our initial descent into Baltimore..."

"Didn't we just _come_ from Ilchester?" Dean whispered loudly to the pair beside him.

"Y'know, I vaguely remember a TV show with a scene like this," Andie spoke up, eying the passengers. "Which leads me to believe this is _not_ going to end well..."

As if on cue; the plane took a sharp nosedive, the passengers screamed, luggage fell from the overhead compartments and the oxygen masks fell from the roof. Dean, Andie and Sam all grabbed for their masks and looped them over their heads; but as Andie did, she caught sight of a horrid vision out the window. A blinding white beacon of light shooting directly up into the sky; a blinding light Andie was sure was emitting from a now destroyed St. Mary's Church.

After a scary landing, the plane pulled into the terminal much to the relieved cheers of the passengers. Dean, Sam and Andie sped off the plane as fast as they could and made their way to the rental car desk. All they had with them was what was in their pockets, which thankfully including their numerous credit cards.

Andie was still recovering from what had happened as she sat in the back of the rented commodore only half listening to the radio at various reports of horrible things. Swine flu, earthquake tremors, hurricanes; to most people it would just sound like a run of bad coincidences; but to the trio in the car? They were warning signs of the apocalypse. It was coming; and this was just the beginning.

They all sat in silence for a long drive until a light ringing, as though she'd listening to music too loud, made its way into her eardrum. She thought it would pass; but it didn't. In fact, it got louder. "You hear that?" She finally broke the silence.

"Hear what?" Sam muttered disinterestedly.

"That ringing..." Andie dug her finger into her ear to try and dull the source of the noise; but it didn't help. "You can't hear it?"

"Hear what?" Dean turned in his seat and gave her an odd look. "Why are you yelling?"

"What?" Andie could barely make out what he was saying. A sudden lurch in her stomach made her gasp; she felt like she was being yanked from her middle out of the car and into a shocking white light.

Her chest heaving, Andie groped around for something to hang on to and found that she was on her hands and knees in a field, gripping wads of grass between her fingers. "What..." She whispered, looking around the empty field and seeing that she wasn't actually alone.

"You're safe," Ellie pulled her to her feet and enveloped her in a warm hug. "Oh, I was so worried he wouldn't get you out."

"Castiel?" Andie guessed as she let herself fall into her grandmother's arms. "He's okay?"

"He will be." Ellie said, holding Andie by her shoulders, her eyes darting all over her inspecting for injuries.

"Why did you pull me out of the car?" Andie asked. "I thought you liked popping up in the back seat."

"I needed to see you without Sam and Dean." Ellie answered. "Zachariah..." She said his name with obvious disdain.

"Why?"

"It's started," Ellie said gravely, for once actually looking her age. "The apocalypse. The end."

"Way to be positive, Ellie," Andie deadpanned.

"The other angels... they want Dean to come with them."

"After they lied to us?" Andie said in disbelief. "All that crap about seals? They kick-started the end of the world!"

"To be fair..." Ellie said carefully. "It was Sam who started it..." She held up a hand to cease Andie's coming retort. "I don't want to argue with you, Andie. Fact is fact. I'm sorry; I am. I believed in Sam so much... and I know you still do."

Andie folded her arms tightly over her chest. "It wasn't his fault..." She muttered. "Ruby... the demon blood... he-he wasn't himself."

"Who are you trying to convince, love, me or you?" Ellie asked wisely. Her granddaughter replied by simply pouting. "You have to kill the Lucifer," Ellie continued. "He is powerful in ways that defy description and we need to strike now before he finds his vessel."

This was news to Andie. "Vessel? Lucifer needs a host body?"

"He is an angel." Ellie confirmed. "And the devastation if he finds his host..." She closed her eyes; unable to articulate the horror.

"That won't happen." Andie promised, though her expression didn't change. "We can stop it."

Ellie smiled, a little more at ease. "I'm glad to hear your confidence." She squeezed Andie's shoulders. "I wish I could stay longer."

"You're not leaving me out here, are you?"

"No, I'll send you back to Sam and Dean; they're with the Prophet."

"Chuck?" Andie vaguely recalled the story Dean had told her.

"Yes. But Zachariah is there, too." She added with caution.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Andie asked. "He's an angel... you're an angel..."

"Some of the... _older_ angels don't see you the way I do."

"Me?" Andie was perplexed.

"Half-human, half-angel... you're a gift." Ellie smiled. "Some of us see that, like myself, Castiel and Anna... others don't." Her smile disappeared. "They think you're a mistake."

Andie scoffed. "Mistake. Because I'm a nympholiam or whatever?"

"Nephilim." Ellie corrected her. "Strong; unaware of your power. That's what they're afraid of, especially since your humanity cloaks you from their radar."

"Are they more like me?" Andie asked out of pure curiosity. More half and halfs?"

"Yes. Although, like I said, since we can't see you we wouldn't know how many. But Nephilim have been around for centuries..." She tiled her head slightly askew as if listening for something. "I'm sorry, love, but I have to go." She pecked a kiss against her granddaughter's cheek. "Be careful." She pressed her middle and forefinger against Andie's head before she even had a chance to protest.

Ellie must not have the accuracy that Castiel did when it came to sending people from A to B, because Andie wound up on her hands and knees again. This time; she was inside and landed on a fluffy rug so it wasn't as harsh on her knees. Her ears were still ringing a little; but she caught the distinct sound of Dean's voice in the room beside her.

Carefully; she inched closer to the voices, noting the distinct timbre of Zachariah's high-and-mighty tone of voice spouting something about Lucifer needing a vessel. Taking light steps; Andie crept down the hall and could see Zachariah along with two other angelic lackeys.

"You think you can rebel against us?" Zachariah was yelling.

Andie drew in a breath, her heart racing, and waved her hand at one of the angels behind Zachariah. He crashed into the fireplace and disappeared. Zachariah turned to face her but she was too quick and sent him so heavily into the wall it made a dent in the panelling. "Not so tough without your fancy room, are ya?" Andie quipped to no one in particular.

"Andie!" Dean said in relief.

"Just a sec," She swiped her hand at the angel by the fireplace and sent him flying through the panel separating both rooms. "Ok, now we can hug," She flung herself into Dean's arms.

"Are you okay? Where'd you go?" Dean asked as he hugged her.

"Oh, my God it's Andie..." Chuck said in disbelief. "Wow... you're so how I pictured you."

"Please tell me that's not Chuck: The Prophet?" Andie asked as Dean set her down.

"Sorry." Sam said with half a smile.

"Nice move," Zachariah popped up again, seemingly unscathed. "Won't be that easy for you next time. But," He sneered. "Like I was saying to the boys before you crashed our little shindig; we're on the same side now. One team. All for one against Lucifer." His eyes flickered down to Dean's hand. "You're bleeding..."

Andie hadn't even noticed the crimson blood dripping from Dean's hand until Zachariah mentioned it.

"Yeah," Dean smirked. "Little insurance policy in case you dick's showed up." He pushed Andie into Sam's arms, pulled the double doors closed and slammed his bleeding hand in the centre of the angel banishing sigil he'd scribed in his own blood.

"No!" Zachariah cried out, lunging for Dean, but he was engulfed from within by an explosion of white light, zapping him from the room in an instant.

Dean sneered down at the space the angel had been standing "Learned that from my friend, Cas, you son of a bitch."

**xxx**

Andie's first task when the trio rented a motel room was to use the room phone to call Cassidy, check in and make sure she was okay. Thankfully she was, as were Luka and Zoe. Cassidy was desperate to regale her with the stories she'd heard after she'd finally met Aurora; but Andie had to cut her off and Cassidy knew in her tone of voice that something was wrong.

"Morgan, spill it." She ordered. "What happened?"

"I can't talk right now," She said as Dean came into the hotel room. "We're all okay... I just wanted to make sure you were..."

"Ok, now you're scaring me; you _never_ check in..."

"I'll call you later," With that, Andie hung up the phone. "Did you find it?" she asked Dean hopefully.

"In the backseat," Dean chucked her cell phone at her. "So Ellie took you to a field?"

"Yeh," Andie nodded and clicked through her cell phone for messages. "Wanted to make sure I was okay, I guess..."

"Well, this is for that, too," He approached her with two identical pouches in his palm. "Hex bag." He pressed it into her hand. "Sam made them... Ruby taught him how... it'll keep us off angel and demon radar."

"Where is he?"

"Diner downstairs; getting food." Dean replied stuffing the hex bag in his jacket pocket. "Says he's okay after all the demon blood stuff... apparently all he's jonesing for is a good burger."

"That's... good, right?" Andie guessed

"Yeah..." Dean said quietly.

"Hey," Andie rested her hands on his shoulders. "This isn't your fault. We didn't know that angels could lie. The seals... wasting our time... none of us knew. All that matters now is what we do next."

Dean gave her an odd look. "You're... oddly positive today..." He said as he hooked his arms around her waist. "Talking with Ellie must bring out the angel in you." Andie made a face. "We made a mess; we clean it up, right?"

"Right," Andie sighed and her head against his strong shoulder. "So we've just got to..."

He rested his forehead against hers. "Find the devil." He murmured, the utter impossibility of that statement not lost on either of them. Find the devil? What could be easier?

**xxx**


	2. Carry That Weight

**Chapter 2:**

_Carry That Weight_

Andie could definitely feel the shift in Sam and Dean's relationship when the younger brother came back to the motel. There was stiffness to the way they interacted, a tension that was almost palpable, but neither of them acknowledged it. They just retired to separate corners of the room, Sam dug his nose into John Winchester's journal and Dean sat himself in front of the TV. Andie took a shower, and when she was dressing afterwards she realized she could hear a woman's voice coming from the main room.

Tying her hair in a loose bun, Andie exited the bathroom. She saw a short, over-excited, young blonde woman who was eyeing Sam with a murderously passionate expression. When Andie walked in; her face exploded in a grin.

"ANDIE!" She cried exuberantly.

"WHAT?" Andie yelled back in confusion. "Who is she?"

"I'm Becky." She grinned and eagerly shook Andie's hand. "Forgive me! I just never thought I'd get all three of you in the same room...Anyway, Mr. Edlund told me where you were."

Dean rose off the bed. "Chuck?"

"He's got a message, but he's being watched." Becky said with a smile. "Angels. Nice change-up to the mythology, by the way. The demon stuff was getting kind of old."

"Right. Just, um...what's the message?" Sam tried to hurry her along.

"He had a vision." She closed her eyes as she recited what he had said. "_The Michael sword is on earth. The angels lost it_."

"The Michael sword?" Dean repeated.

"Becky, does he know where it is?" Sam asked, and Becky seemed just thrilled that he acknowledged her.

"In a castle, on a hill made of forty-two dogs." Becky smiled adoringly at him.

"Forty-two dogs?" Andie raised her eyebrows.

Dean folded his arms, his face confused as ever. "Are...you _sure_ you got that right?"

It doesn't make sense, but that's what he said." Becky said as she took a step closer to Sam. "I memorized every word." She rested her hand against Sam's chest. "For you."

"What were you smoking when he told you?" Andie muttered under her breath.

Sam glanced awkwardly at Dean and Andie. "Um, Becky, uh, can you...quit touching me?"

"No." Becky said immediately, staring at Sam's chest.

"You know, Becky," Andie took her other hand. "I think I saw something shiny out in the hall, wanna go look for it?"

"Work with you?" Becky seemed thrilled. "AWESOME!"

"Ok, let's go," Andie held the door open for her, and the moment she walked through it, slammed it shut and locked it. "We don't need any more crazy around here." She reasoned.

Sam was on the phone to Bobby a moment later, who promised to drive the Impala to meet them and figure out what the hell Becky had been going on about. Andie tried calling for her grandmother, but she wasn't answering and there was still no word from Castiel. Andie could tell Dean was worried about him; though he would never say it.

Andie was searching the internet on Sam's laptop trying to find out about the Michael sword; most of what she could find was just pictures of the angel with a sword in hand as well as other armour. He was a gorgeously feminine depiction in print, Andie had decided. She wondered what would happen if he was unfortunate enough to need a vessel like Zachariah's... that would be such a disappointment.

They had been working solidly for a few hours when a sharp knock at the door let them know Bobby had arrived. "Hey, Bobby," Dean grabbed him up in a bear hug after opening the door.

"Good to see you kids all in one piece." Bobby slapped Dean on the back a few times. He grinned as he hugged Sam while Dean closed the door.

"Bobby," Andie tipped her beer to him, noticing he had a stack of books in his hand, but she still didn't think she knew him well enough to jump into his arms just yet. "You weren't followed, were you?"

"You mean by angels, demons, or Sam's new superfan?" Bobby asked.

"You heard." Sam laughed.

"I heard, Romeo." Bobby quipped. "So...sword of Michael, huh?"

"You think we're talking about the actual sword from the actual archangel?" Dean asked, offering Bobby a cold beer.

"You better friggin' hope so." He dumped the books down on the table, took the beer, and then selected a book that had a placeholder in it. He opened it up to the page, it was a painting of Michael surrounded by other angels; a leader. "That's Michael. Toughest son of a bitch they got."

"You kidding me?" Dean almost laughed. "Tough? That guy looks like Cate Blanchett."

"Well, I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, believe me." Bobby countered. "He commands the heavenly host. During the last big dust-up upstairs, he's the one who booted Lucifer's ass to the basement. Did it with that sword." He jabbed his finger a couple of times at the painting. "So, if we can find it…"

"We can kick the devil's ass all over again." Sam finished for him. "All right. So, where do we start?"

"Divvy up and start reading," He chucked a book at Andie. "Try and make sense of Chuck's nonsense."

"So, they're right..." Sam said quietly. "It's the end."

"Well," Bobby stroked his beard. "The Mayan calendar ends in 2012; so by their logic we've still got two years before the apocalypse."

Andie gave him a skeptical look. "You're going by the Mayans? They couldn't even predict the Spaniards coming - that's why they're not around anymore."

"With all these hurricanes and signs all over the world, I'm inclined to go with the angels on this one." Dean spoke up.

Andie threw up her hands in defeat and flopped onto the couch, Dean grabbed a couple of books and sat beside her, but Sam just stood by the books and didn't take one. "Kid? You all right?" Bobby asked him.

"No, actually." He turned to face him; a grave look in his eye. "Bobby, this is all my fault. I'm sorry."

"Sam..." Dean said warningly.

"Lilith did not _break_ the final seal." Sam admitted to Bobby. "Lilith _was_ the final seal."

"Sam, stop it." Dean said louder.

"I killed her, and I set Lucifer free." Sam finished, swallowing hard as he did so.

Bobby was stunned. "You what?" He practically whispered.

Sam turned to face all three of them now. "You guys warned me about Ruby, the demon blood, but I didn't listen. I brought this on."

"You're damn right you didn't listen." Bobby sneered. "You were reckless and selfish and arrogant."

"I'm sorry." Sam muttered uselessly; it was all he could say right now.

"Oh, yeah? You're sorry you started Armageddon?" Bobby taunted him. "This kind of thing don't get forgiven, boy." He gave him a disgusted look. "If, by some miracle, we pull this off...I want you to lose my number. You understand me?"

Sam just nodded with an unchanging expression. "There's an old church nearby." He said a moment later. "Maybe I'll go read some of the lore books there."

"Yeah." Bobby snarled. "You do that."

Dean and Andie, who had stayed silent during this interaction, exchanged a worried look. Neither of them could predict how Bobby would react to that news, but surely this was a little over the top? More than once he called Sam and Dean his family; and more than once he had said you don't turn your back on family. "I'm going with him…" Andie got to her feet and grabbed her jacket; half expecting either Dean or Bobby to stop her, but neither of them did. Without another word, she was out the door and jogging after Sam.

They wound up at the church together, having only made small talk on the walk there, and cornered themselves in the darkest nook of the place with a pile of dusty old novellas.

"What did you tell Cassidy?" Sam asked after they'd been researching for an hour or so.

Andie had been reading and re-reading the same sentence over and over again, her mind wandering. "What?" She asked, blinking a few times.

"Cass, what did you tell her about what happened?"

Andie tossed the book aside and rubbed her eyes. "Nothing yet." She answered. "I don't know what I should tell her. "_Hang tight; the apocalypse is coming… and by the way, Sam started it_."…" She saw the hurt flash across Sam's face. "Sorry." She added.

"It's just the truth." Sam shrugged. "Maybe I should call her and-"

"No!" Andie yelped so loud her voice resonated off the walls. "No." She repeated quietly. "No; you will _not_ call her."

"Why not?"

"Because she's happy in Iowa. She's happy now." Andie said; a little put off herself by how angry she sounded. "And what you did with Ruby really hurt her… I mean, she dies, gets resurrected and finds you screwing a demon and hooked on her blood?" Andie frowned. "No. You will _not_ mess up her life. Not when she's happy." Alarm bells suddenly started ringing in Andie's ears. "Oh, my God…" She jumped to her feet.

"What is it?" Sam rose with her.

She didn't know how she knew; but she knew. "Dean. He's hurt." With that, she abandoned the table and went sprinting for the door, Sam right behind her.

Andie didn't know where she got the speed, but she bolted back to that hotel room so fast that all of her surroundings were a blur. All she could hear was the wind whistling through her ears and the muffled thuds of Sam's heavy boots running behind her. She took the motel stairs two at a time and came crashing into their motel room to see a short, brunette demon and a large, bulky male demon circling Dean. Bobby was lying in a heap on the floor; bleeding.

"Hey!" Andie cried out; startling the male demon. She threw her hand forwards and sent him flying back onto one of the double beds.

The female demon did not look surprised. In fact, when her evil eyes rounded on Sam, she smiled. "Heya, Sammy." She said in a syrupy voice. "You miss me? 'Cause I sure missed you."

Sam looked stunned. "Meg?"

"Meg?" Andie repeated. She'd only met the girl once, a year ago just after Dean came back, and they'd tried to kill each other. Apparently, things weren't about to change.

"Hey, baby," Meg winked at her. "Like the new body?" She gestured to her petite frame. "'Cos it likes you…"

"Sorry, sweetness, not interested," Andie smirked. "It's not 'cos you're a woman, it's 'cos you're a whore."

Meg laughed. "Beautiful." Her smile turned sneer and she slapped Andie sharply across the face. Then she grabbed Sam by the shoulders and kneed him straight in the crotch. Behind her, her male companion was back on his feet and pounding his fists into Dean's body.

"It's not so easy without those super-special demon powers, huh, Sammy?" Meg taunted him as she sent a heavy kick into his chest.

"Maybe not for him," Andie pulled Meg backwards by her hair. "But I still know I thing or two," She pulled Meg's head down and swiftly brought up her knee, connecting heavily with Meg's jaw. Andie heard a satisfying crack and pushed the demon to the ground. One kick sent her back against the wall; beside Bobby who Andie could now see had the demon knife protruding sickeningly out of his stomach.

Meg was on her feet in a second, blood trickling down her chin. With a growl she lunged at Andie and tackled her to the ground. Landing heavily on her back, Andie managed to grab a hold of Meg's wrists and use her power to throw her backwards over her head onto her back. By the time Andie was on her feet, Sam was right beside her with the knife, still glistening with Bobby's blood, securely in his hand.

Upon seeing the knife, Meg tossed her head back and screamed bloody murder as the demonic smoke expunged itself from her body, leaving it in a heap once it was gone.

"Sam!" Dean called out, having tripped the demon beating him up and getting free for a mere second. Sam didn't miss a beat and tossed his brother the knife. The male demon went the same way as Meg a minute later; only he didn't esacpe. Dean lowered the knife. "Nice timing," He panted to Andie whilst Sam ran to Bobby's aid, simultaneously dialing 9-1-1 on his cell.

"No, I knew..." Andie said nervously. "I knew you were hurt."

"What?" Dean looked puzzled. "What do you mean you knew? How?"

Andie shrugged. "I dunno..." Her voice was shaking. "I just... knew."

**xxx**


	3. Tomorrow Never Knows

**Chapter 3**

_Tomorrow Never Knows_

The next couple of hours passed like a blur. Whilst speeding to the hospital with Bobby, Sam deducing it would take too long for an ambulance, Dean reiterated to Andie and his brother that before the demon attack, he and Bobby had managed to decode Chuck's message; it related to a card of John Winchesters for his upstate New York lockup. At Castle Storage, 42 Rover Hill; or as Becky said, a castle on a hill of forty-two dogs. Best they deciphered was that John had the Michael sword and was hiding it; so that was their next destination. And they had to move fast as they assumed the angels would be after it, too.

So they had to leave Bobby at the emergency room with no explanation for his injuries, and jettison off in the Impala for the lockup as fast as they could. For some reason, perhaps he was feeling guilty about upsetting her in the church library, but Sam let Andie have the passenger's seat and confined himself to the back for once. It was an odd change; but Andie appreciated the sentiment.

"It's gotta be from Castiel or Ellie or something, right?" Andie said to Dean. They were still trying to figure out how she had known Dean was hurt. "I mean, Sam came out without any everlasting demon-blood effects... maybe whatever he did amped up my angel powers?"

"Makes sense, I guess..." Dean muttered as he gripped the steering wheel and turned sharply to the left. "They do keep saying you're more powerful than you realize."

"Yeah..." Andie let it go; they had more important things to deal with right now.

When the trio arrived at Castle Storage, all loaded up with guns ready to fight whatever might block their path. Sam kept watch with Andie just behind him as Dean opened up the door to the lockup... but someone had already beat them there. There were demon bodies lining the floor and Zachariah, plain and tall, with two angelic escorts.

"I see you told the demons where the sword is." Zachariah snorted.

"Oh, thank god. The angels are here." Dean deadpanned.

He shook his head; smirking that knowing smirk. "And to think...they could have grabbed it any time they wanted." He held a hand up to the door and used his power to slam it shut behind Sam and Andie. "It was right in front of them.

Sam took a step forwards and plated himself beside his brother. "What do you mean?"

"We may have planted that particular piece of prophecy inside Chuck's skull," Zachariah explained. "But it happened to be true. We did lose the Michael sword. We truly couldn't find it. Until now." He grinned smugly. "You've just hand-delivered it to us." He let out an exuberant laugh.

Dean scoffed. "We don't have anything."

"It's you, chucklehead." Zachariah said cheerfully. "_You're_ the Michael sword."

His statement, said with complete calm and truth, rooted the trio to the spot; all gape-mouthed and staring.

"What, you thought you three could actually _kill_ Lucifer?" Zachariah continued, rounding on dean. "You? A simpering wad of insecurity and self-loathing? No. You're just a human, Dean. And not much of one."

"What do you mean, I'm the sword?" Dean managed to find his voice, though shaky, and reply.

"You're Michael's weapon." Zachariah said. "Or, rather, his...receptacle."

Dean's eyes widened. "I'm a vessel?"

"You're _the_ vessel." Zachariah confirmed. "Michael's vessel."

"How? Why—why me?" Dean spluttered.

Zachariah held out his hands and gave a wide grin. "Because you're chosen! It's a great honor, Dean."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, life as an angel condom." Dean quipped in anger. "That's real fun. I think I'll pass, thanks."

Zachariah chuckled. "Joking. Always joking." His smile promptly disappeared. "Well...no more jokes." He pointed a finger gun at Dean, and then turned it on his brother. "Bang."

There was a sickening crunch as Sam buckled to his knees, groaning in pain. "God!"

"SAM!" Andie fell to her knees beside him.

"No, no, no," Zachariah flicked his fingertip at her and tossed her onto her back, invisible binds holding her steady against the wall.

"You son of a bitch!" Dean yelled at the angel.

"Keep mouthing off, I'll break more than his legs." Zachariah warned. "I am completely and utterly through screwing around." His voice was so much more serious than his normally casual, sarcastic tone. "The war has begun. We don't have our General." He paused. "That's bad. Now, Michael is going to take his vessel and lead the final charge against the adversary. You understand me?"

Dean forced himself not to look at his brother, and instead turned his anger to Zachariah. "How many humans die in the crossfire, huh? A million? Five, ten?"

"Probably more." Zachariah replied. "If Lucifer goes unchecked, you know how many die? All of them. He'll roast the planet alive."

"There's a reason you're telling me this instead of just nabbing me." Dean said in realization. "You need my consent. Michael needs my say-so to ride around in my skin."

"Unfortunately, yes." Zachariah validated. "There is no other way. There must be a battle. Michael must defeat the serpent. It is written."

"Yeah, maybe." Dean said quietly. "But, on the other hand... Eat me." He wisecracked back. "The answer's no."

Not willing to give up, Zachariah continued his jibing. "Okay. How about this? Your friend Bobby—we know he's gravely injured. Say yes, and we'll heal him. Say no, he'll never walk again."

Dean swallowed hard. "No."

"Ok," Zachariah released his invisibly grips on Andie. "How about her; is she your weak spot? How about we give her...a nice brain tumour with pancreatic cancer to boot?"

The words had barely come out of his mouth and Andie was doubled over in pain clutching her abdomen. "Dean..." She grunted in pain as a wave of cramps seared through her body. "Don't." It was too hard to speak; but she didn't take her eyes off him; willing him not to give in; not to fall for this crap.

"Then how about we heal you from...stage-four stomach cancer?" Zachariah's eyes rounded on Dean

Dean fell to his knees and gasped, a fit of coughs taking him by surprise. He covered his mouth with his hand; and when he pulled it back, blood was staining his palm. "No." Dean still managed to croak out.

"Then let's get really creative." Zachariah sneered down to the three writhing bodies. "Uh, let's see how...Sam does without his lungs." The angel was gleefully smiling as Sam began to gasp for breath. "Or how Andie does without fifty percent of her blood..."

Immediately; Andie felt lightheaded and like she was about to faint. Her energy waned so quickly; she just wanted to sleep. She could barely make out the voices around her; Zachariah's taunts mere mumbles in her ears as everything developed a dark shadow; her vision ebbing away into nothingness. She thought she saw a bright white light flash; like a light turning on in a dark room, but she was too tired to care. Her mind just kept slipping...

And then; she was fine.

Her eyes snapped open; the pain in her stomach was gone, her head was clear... and Zachariah was nowhere to be seen. Castiel, however, had appeared and was now the only one in the room other than Dean, Sam and Andie. All the angels and demon bodies were gone.

"You three need to be more careful." Castiel scolded them as they all brushed themselves off.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that." Dean muttered, rubbing at a pain in his neck. "Your frat brothers are bigger dicks than I thought."

"I don't mean the angels." Castiel caught them all off guard with that one. "Lucifer is circling his vessel. And once he takes it, those hex bags won't be enough to protect you." He reached out and put a hand to both Dean and Sam's chests.

Dean gasped. "What the hell was that?"

"An Enochian sigil." He said; placing his hand just above Andie's breasts without a pause and branded her as well. "It'll hide you from every Angel in creation, including Lucifer." He stared them all down. "I carved it into your ribs."

"What about Ellie?" Andie asked. "Can she still find us?"

"She can find _you_," Castiel replied to her. "She follows your bloodline."

"Hey, Cas," Sam asked cautiously, a moment later. "Were you really dead?"

"Yes." Castiel answered dutifully.

"Then how are you back?" Dean asked.

As was the want of Castiel; he didn't answer. Instead, he disappeared.

"Great," Dean muttered and turned to the others. "Now what?"

_Now what_, turned out to be the three of them heading back to the hospital to see Bobby; trying very hard not to look like three guilty puppies with their tails between their legs. Bobby was in relatively good spirits, and relatively bad shape. The doctors told him he'd never walk again; and he was pissed. But he was also focused, and told the trio that they had to save as many as they could because whoever won this apocalyptic battle; they were all screwed anyway.

"What if we win?" Dean offered up the unlikely suggestion; full of seemingly feax confidence. "I'm serious. I mean, screw the angels and the demons and their crap apocalypse. Hell, they want to fight a war, they can find their own planet. This one's ours, and I say they get the hell off it." He looked from Bobby to Sam. "We take 'em all on." He looked to his brother. "We kill the devil." He turned to Andie; who was almost smiling. "Hell, we even kill Michael if we have to. But we do it our own damn selves."

"And how are we supposed to do all this, genius?" Bobby asked with grating skepticism.

"I got no idea." Dean admitted. "But what I do have is a GED and a give-'em-hell attitude, and I'll figure it out."

"_I'll_ figure it out." Andie countered, getting to her feet. "No _way_ I'm letting you have all the fun. They want an apocalypse, I'll give 'em one." She smiled. Dean looped his hand around her waist and held her at his side.

Bobby shook his head. "You kids are nine kinds of crazy…"

"It's been said." Dean agreed, patting him on the shoulder. "Stay on the mend, ok? We'll see you in a bit." Together he headed for the door with Andie, but Sam lagged behind, telling them to go on and that they'd meet him out at the car.

Dean didn't pause, instead he lead Andie out into the hall and slowly they drifted for the exit. "Do you really think you'll have fun doing this?" He asked her, slipping his thumb into the waistband of her jeans to cup her hip more easily.

"Do you really think you'll be able to do all that bull shit you just said?" Andie countered. "No, it won't be fun per say… but," She hugged her own arm around his waist. "Come on; you and I both know we get a helluva kick outta killing demons."

"We're awesome," Dean smiled at her and kissed her forehead. She blanched through a smile but let him kiss her publicly.

"You know, I was thinking, guys," Sam said, jogging to catch up with them in the parking lot. "Maybe we could go after the Colt."

Dean dropped his arm from Andie's waist and turned to him. "Why? What difference would that make?"

"Well, we could use it on Lucifer." Sam reasoned. "I mean, you just said back there-"

"I just said a bunch of crap for Bobby's benefit." Dean cut in pointedly.

Then there was a weird silence. All three of them just stood there, almost like a triangle, each at a different point, each thinking a different thing; but still together. Still connected.

"But we're gonna fight it." Andie said firmly, to the both of them. "We'll fight it. Like we always do."

"I mean, yeh, I'll fight. I'll fight till the last man," Dean assured her. "But let's at least be honest. I mean, we don't stand a snowball's chance." His eyes drifted to his brother. "And you know that." He walked past him, muttering loud enough for him to hear. "I mean, hell, you of all people know that."

"Dean..." Sam grabbed his brother by the shoulder and turned him back. "Is there something you wanna say to me?"

Andie froze by the car door; that triangle was beginning to fade right before her eyes.

"I tried, Sammy." Dean admitted, his voice grave. Bleak. "I mean, I really tried. But I just can't keep pretending that everything's all right." He gulped. "Because it's not. And it's never going to be. You chose a demon over Cassidy… Andie…your own brother… over your _family_, Sam," He ignored Sam's rolling eyes. "And look what happened."

Sam, lost for words but unable to remain silent, tried yet again to convey his sorrow. "I would give anything, _anything_, to take it all back."

"I know you would. And I know how sorry you are. I do. But, man...you were the one that I depended on the most. And you let me down in ways that I can't even..." He stopped, struggling to find the words. To actually _say_ what he was feeling for his brother right now; the contempt in his heart… that was a little too much to ask of him. "I'm just—I'm having a hard time forgiving and forgetting here. You know?"

"What can I do?" Sam asked helplessly.

"Honestly? Nothing." Dean slowly shook his head, the look on his brother's face telling him that he wasn't saying anything that Sam didn't expect.

Sadly for her, it wasn't unexpected to Andie either. And as Dean continued, "I just don't...I don't think that we can ever be what we were…", Andie's happy little triangle began to drift even further into the distance. Sure, Andie was furious at Sam for what he did… but he was Sam. He was Dean's kid brother. The sweet one. Andie stared at her feet, her face scrunched in deep thought. Maybe Dean was right… Sam had been sucking down demon blood… he'd helped _start_ the _apocalypse_… what was she thinking still calling him 'the sweet one'?

"I just don't think I can trust you." Dean finished. With a shake of his head; he turned his back on his brother and got into the driver's seat of the Impala.

Andie waited by the passenger's seat door, her face still scrunched in thought. She didn't like being able to so obviously see either sides of the argument. She never had to play the role of mediator between the boys', if anything Sam had to play that role between Dean and Andie, and now she was being forced to look at both of them in a different way. One good, one bad… was it that black and white? Was there a right answer here, and was it turning her back on Sam as Dean had basically confirmed he was doing?

By the time she zoned back in, she realized with a pang of guilt that Sam was lounging in the back seat of the Impala; in turn offering her the passenger's seat. And this was different than before; this was like he was giving up his place. Andie sat awkwardly beside Dean and buckled up as he kick started the engine and they drove off. They were silent, and Andie wondered if they were thinking the same thing she was.

That their little triangle of a family had been completely destroyed.

**xxx**


	4. Fixing A Hole

**Chapter 4**

_Fixing A Hole_

The happy little triangle Andie had grown accustomed too didn't get any better in the following weeks. The tension between Sam and Dean just grew, each of them too stubborn to talk about their problems with the other. Andie didn't want to get in the middle of anything; but she was discovering that staying silent put her squarely beside Dean anyway.

Even while on cases they couldn't keep things straight. They got caught up with some old hunter friends of Sam and Dean's, Ellen Harvelle and her daughter, Jo. They were stuck in a town caught up in a hell of a demonic problem; made everyone think they were seeing demons when they weren't, it made Ellen believe her daughter was possessed and vice versa.

If they were in any doubt about the apocalypse; this case sure made them certain. War, one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse was behind the demonic game of cat and mouse. Andie had held him down while Dean sliced off the magical ring adorning his finger; a trinket he took because it was the source of War's power. He would twirl it around his finger to 'activate' it; it was what made the townspeople see each other as demons.

The splinter in the side of their triangle came from War himself; who taunted Sam mercilessly in the moments before his death, telling him he knew that all Sam was thinking about was demon blood, blood, blood. His words only solidified Dean's lack of faith in his brother; and thus didn't at all heal their relationship.

On their way out of town; they stopped by the gas station on the side of the road and while Sam filled up the Impala, Andie followed Dean to a picnic table where he was twirling War's ring around on its side, his eyes way too focused on the trinket to be a man at ease. There was something else on his mind; and Andie knew what it was. Their triangle.

"You know I'm not big on the marital chit-chatting," Andie said as she straddled the bench beside Dean. "But I wanna know what you're thinking right now..." She lifted one leg up on the bench and let the other dangle down the side.

"I'd tell ya if I knew, Morgan…" He replied.

"It's hitting you now, isn't it?" She said, lazily laying her hand on his knee. "The end? We just came up against a friggin' _Horseman_ for Christ's sake…but we fought and we won." She tried to sound a little more upbeat. "Three more and-"

"And what?" Dean cut in. "And that'll be it? Andie; we're nuts if we think just knocking over the Horseman is gonna be the end of this."

"It's a start." Andie pointed out.

"Again with the positivity," Dean smirked at her. "Something else the angels amped up?"

"Fine. We're all gonna die tomorrow; happy?" She quipped back.

Dean laughed. "That's more like my girl." He said, twirling the ring again. "Pit stop at Mount Doom?" He joked.

"Har-har." Andie deadpanned, swiveling in her seat as Sam joined them across the table.

"Guys…" He started; his tone serious.

Dean immediately stopped him. "Sam; let's not."

"No, listen. This is important." Sam pressed. "I know you don't trust me." This statement was validated by Dean turning away. "And now I realize," He paused and shook his head. "I don't trust me either. From the minute I saw that blood, only thought in my head," He drifted off for a minute; his mind flashing that bloodied dagger before his eyes. "And I tell myself it's for the right reasons, my intentions are good, and it, it feels true, you know? But I think, underneath...I just miss the feeling. I know how messed up that sounds, which means I know how messed up I am. Thing is, the problem's not the demon blood, not really. I mean, I, what I did, I can't blame the blood or Ruby or...anything. The problem's me. How far I'll go. It's something that means..." He clucked his tongue, searching for the right words. "It scares the hell out of me, Dean. In the last couple of days, I caught another glimpse-"

"So what are you saying?" Dean interrupted.

"I'm in no shape to be hunting. I need to step back, 'cause I'm dangerous." He ignored Andie's eye roll. "Maybe it's best we just...go our separate ways."

Andie scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief, knowing that Dean would change his brother's mind. He had to. There was no way they could function without each other.

Dean sighed; considering this. "Well, I think you're right."

Sam looked surprised. "I was expecting a fight."

"You'll get one from me!" Andie yelped and got to her feet. "You don't have to go anywhere for us to figure this out."

"Andie." Dean pulled her back down. "Look, Sammy, truth is I spend more time worrying about you than about doing the job right. And I just, I can't afford that, you know? Not now."

Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"I know you are, Sam." Dean mumbled as his brother rose to leave, he offered him the Impala to which his Sam declined.

"Take care of yourself, Dean." He said with a shaky smile.

"Yeah, you too, Sammy." Dean murmured back as he stared after his little brother; wandering off to God knew where.

"So, that's it?" Andie said incredulously to Dean when Sam was out of earshot. "You're just gonna let him go."

Dean wouldn't look at her, his eyes were on Sam as he grabbed his back from the Impala and hitched a ride with a trucker parked nearby. "He's a grown man, Andie; he can do what he wants."

Andie pouted. "Since when does _that_ matter to you?"

"Please don't fight with me about this," Dean begged her. "I'm tired of it… can you please just go with me on this?"

Andie pursed her lips together. "Ok." She agreed quietly. "Fine," She looped her arm through his and rested her head against his shoulder. "I won't argue… about this."

"Thank you," Dean kissed her crown. And for awhile longer; they just sat there, until the air became too cold and the night ate away the sun. Then they climbed back in the Impala and headed off. Andie shifted uncomfortably in the passenger's seat, she almost climbed into the back just to ease her anxiety, but she didn't. She just stayed sitting there, in Sam's seat, as they drove further and further away.

**xxx**

What followed in the coming weeks was the first proper time alone Andie and Dean had ever had. Andie never minded being the third wheel, the tagalong to this brotherly duo, but there definitely something nice about being in the top two for a change. For starters, there were less arguments, less sharing, and no need to stay quiet while having sex; the latter a gigantic plus in Dean's eyes.

They hunted whatever crossed their paths, nothing could stop them no matter how hard they tried. They had their goal and they were sticking to it; kill Lucifer. It was always their goal, Andie supposed, it just was that last goal that never seemed like it was going to be reached. But it was. They were running towards it now, guns a'blazing.

Ellie tried once to talk Andie out of it; and she didn't try again. Castiel, on the other hand, continued to try and steer them away from what he called their 'insane task' to the point where he popped in every hour on the hour with some new argument as to why it was a bad idea. Dean used whatever clout he had over Castiel and told him not to bother them again; and if he wanted to talk to them to do it by cell phone. He bought him a prepaid cell that he could throw away when he was finished with it and programmed his and Andie's phone numbers into it. Castiel wasn't happy with the arrangement; but he obliged.

After a long, _long_ drive to Kansas City, Andie and Dean holed up in a motel to decide their next move. When Andie came out of the shower towelling her hair dry, she caught the end of Dean's cell phone call with Castiel. When he hung up; she inquired as to what it was about and he relayed the information to her.

"As in _the_ Colt?" Andie asked, her thin eyebrows rising as she tried, yet again, to get her head around the latest spanner in the works.

"Yeh; Cas thinks we're better served with it than without it," Dean rubbed his hands across his face and sank heavily into the bed. "Doesn't seem to matter how many times I tell him the thing's probably been totally melted down now. Anyway; he said he'd pop by tomorrow morning, so..." He fell back onto the mattress and sighed. "How many hours we drive, today, sixteen?"

Andie smiled at his tired form and crawled onto the bed. "Something like that..." She muttered as she climbed astride his body. He took his hands from his face and smirked. "First night in a new motel," She pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. "Let's christen it like we always do."

Dean grinned. "Yes, ma'am," He grabbed her hips, flipped her onto her back and muffled her giggles with a deep kiss.

**xxx**

Andie was awoken from a pleasant sleep by Dean's cell phone buzzing on the nightstand. She was clutching Dean's bare chest from behind and groaned in annoyance when he moved to answer the call.

"Damn it, Cas, I need to sleep!" He growled into the phone. Then there was a pause. "Sam?"

Lifting her head off the pillow; Andie clutched the blanket to her chest to keep in the body heat and bundled her pillow up under her head, watching Dean pull his shorts back on and retrieve a beer from the fridge; a sure sign this wasn't going to be a quick conversation.

Andie sat, wide awake, holding the blanket up over her naked body waiting for Dean to finish the call. She only caught Dean's segments of the conversation; but it sounded bad. However her internal reaction was very different to Dean's seemingly muted one. As far as she could tell, Sam was informing his brother of how he was chosen to be Lucifer's vessel – his _vessel_!- Sammy? _So much for being the sweet one,_ Andie thought. The conversation ended with Dean quite vehemently protesting the idea of Sam coming back to join them hunting, claiming they weren't strong as a trio anymore.

When Dean had hung up and finished his beer, Andie voiced her concern. "So... I know I saw I wouldn't argue... but Sam is a vessel now?" She tried very hard to keep her voice from rising; it was only four AM; way too early for a domestic.

Dean sighed and shuffled back to bed. "Like I told him...whatever we do, we're the fire and the oil of the Armageddon. You know, on that basis alone, we should just pick a hemisphere. Stay away from each other for good."

"Stay away? He's your _brother_," Andie said incredulously. "You love him more than you love yourself."

"Andie – don't." He pulled the blanket up under his armpit and kept his back to her.

Sighing, Andie clicked off the lamp beside her and laid down on her back staring up at the roof. After a minute, she rolled back over and slid her arm around Dean's middle, knowing he'd either shove her off or let her touch him. Thankfully; he chose the latter. He pulled her hand up within his to his chin and kissed her fingertips while she cuddled herself to his back, kissing his bare skin. After a few moments; the pair drifted back to sleep.

**xxx**

When Andie awoke again; she was in immediate discomfort.

It was daytime; that much she knew from the sun shining right in her face through the window, but she was also clothed; and she most definitely had _not_ been when she went to sleep. Blinking a few times to get her vision adjusted to the light, she realized she wasn't even in bed anymore; but on the floor of their motel bathroom.

"Wha...?" She started to say as she got to her feet, still put off by the fact she was now wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Then she actually _saw_ the bathroom. It was a mess. And not the usual dirt and grime; but like someone had been at it with a wrecking ball. It was then she realized the sun wasn't coming in from a window; it was coming in from the side of the building that had been completely demolished; she was staring right up where the roof should have been.

"Andie?" Dean's voice urgently called for her. "Andie!"

"Yeah," She managed to croak out; turning her amazed face back to what was left of their motel room. "Yeh, I'm here." Stepping over some debris – _debris?_ – she exited the bathroom to see Dean, also fully clothed, staring agape at her. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah; you?" To him she nodded. "What the hell is going on?" He inched closer to the window.

Andie just shook her head again and looked around their now trashed motel room. There wasn't even a mattress on the bed; the rusted springs were all that was left. "Man... don't tell me the apocalypse rang and we missed the call..." Her heart sank when she saw Dean, a frozen stance, as he stared out the window. "Dean?" She forced her feet to walk closer to him, but then she, too, was frozen. She was right. Her breath caught in her throat, she reached up and pulled the curtain aside to only confirm the image before her.

Buildings smouldering, nothing but piles of rubble, were lining the empty streets as were cars in declining states of functionality. The sky was clouded a sickly black and gray from all the pollution exuding from the remains of the city. Sadly, it was exactly how Andie pictures the end of the world... only she was never living in it in her dreams.

**xxx**

Screaming for Ellie and Castiel didn't work; so for lack of anything better to do at that point, Dean and Andie, albeit reluctantly, left the hotel on foot.

The streets were a mess, everything was destroyed. All the shops had been ransacked and looted clean, and whatever hadn't been stolen had spilled onto the street, soiled by the elements. Every piece of glass was shattered, graffiti covered or both. And as of yet; they hadn't seen one other sign of life.

"This...is...madness..." Andie said without irony as she kicked aside a broken toaster sitting in a puddle.

"It's not real," Dean said. "Right? I mean, it can't be real... we didn't sleep through the end of the world."

"No..." Andie agreed immediately; although every fibre of her body told her this _was_ real. Just a different type of real...

"You can't sense Sam?" Dean asked her again. "Cass? Zoe? Anybody?"

"No, I can't sense anyone," Andie replied, annoyed that her own power was acting up. "Not even you, and I can _see_ you."

A sudden shatter of glass made them both freeze on the spot; it was the first foreign noise they'd heard since they'd woken up. Unmoving, the two of them looked around slowly for the source of the clatter. "There." Andie pointed down an alleyway. A young girl was sitting in the middle of the cement playing with what looked like a glittering puzzle.

Dean led the way as they approached. "Ah.. little girl?" Dean called to her; she didn't turn around. "Little girl?"

They were only feet from her now; Andie could see her face, even though downcast, was dirty and her black hair knotted. And what she'd thought was a puzzle, was shards of glass that the little girl was trying to piece back together. Andie gave Dean a shrug of her shoulders, maybe the kid was just scared, and he knelt down beside her.

"You know the not talking thing is kinda creepy..." He forced a smile; which faded immediately when a dollop of blood fell from the little girls' lips onto the ground.

"Dean," Alarm bells rang in Andie's head. "Move!" She grabbed him by the shoulder just as the little girl looked up at them, rather snarled up at them, her face a contortion of horror, blood dripping from her blackened death. Her eyes, bloodshot and squinting, pierced into Dean as she let out a hiss and lunged at him with one of her glass puzzle pieces.

Dean jumped back as she swiped at him, and then knocked her out with one heavy punch. His eyes drifted up and saw a large piece of graffiti along the side of a building just up ahead. One word that sent a chill down his spine.

Croatoan.

"Crap..." He muttered.

"What?" Andie's eyes followed his. "Oh...no..." Though she hadn't seen the virus in action, she'd heard the story from both Dean and Bobby. The demonic virus that caused a murderous rage in the people in infected. It was transmitted through blood to blood contact; so basically it turned everyone into flesh-craving zombies. Good news; they were easily killed. As long as you didn't get any spray-back...

"Ok, so we have to get..." Dean trailed off as several, obviously infected, people rounded the corner of the alley; spotting Dean and Andie immediately.

Andie didn't move, she just thrust her hand towards them intending to knock them all off their feet... so it was highly shocking to her when none of them moved and they were still barrelling down on them. "That's not right..."

"Move, move, just _MOVE_!" Dean grabbed her hand and pulled her into a run.

Andie hadn't run for her life in a long time; she wished she'd stretched first. Her legs started aching as she and Dean curled around another corner into a thinner alley. Neither of them looked back; but they both could hear the sickening growls and rampant footsteps of the infected behind them.

The alley only went one way, so they followed it and heartbreakingly were met with a chain-link fence over twelve feet high. "NO!" Dean bellowed and smashed his fists against the wire.

Andie tried again to use her power, but still nothing moved. "Come on!" She threw herself against the wire; but it was so heavily set into the walls on either side that it acted more like a spring and didn't budge. A chorus of snarls caught Andie's ear and she forced herself to look behind her. At least six infected people were almost on them.

"Andie," Dean snatched her hand.

Then, out of nowhere, bullets started flying.

Out of pure instinct, Andie and Dean dropped to the ground crouched behind a very thin piece of sheet metal. The zombies before them started falling to their knees as bullets rained through them, mowing them down with ease. Through the chain-link, Andie saw men in army colours and hardy, military tanks rolling to a stop just on the other side of the fence. She saw a slew of men exit one of the tanks and start firing automated weapons at the undead.

Whilst shielding herself, Andie noticed an alcove just to her right, hidden behind a pillar. They'd have to run about three feet through the bullets, but it was their only chance. And as the zombies fell to the ground ahead of them; at least twice as many showed up from behind ready for a fight with the military.

Someone clicked on a radio behind them and The Countours track "_Do You Love Me_?" started blaring over loud speakers, this appeared to be more a sport than a life and death situation.

Andie still felt Dean's hand within hers, she squeezed it to get his attention and pointed at the alcove, no way she could shout over the deafening roar of music and gunfire. He nodded that he understood and held up three fingers to countdown. Two fingers... one... They sprinted for the alcove, Dean shoving Andie through ahead of him, and both of them stumbled on the damp floor until they were well out of the way of the firing line.

"Damn..." Dean breathed as he leant against the wall. "You ok? You get hit?"

"No, I'm fine," Andie quickly checked her body but didn't feel any pain or numbness. "I think I'm fine."

"Ok, come on," He took her hand. "We gotta go before those undead freaks realize there's a way outta there."

They followed the alley and ducked into a storm drain where they stayed until night fall when they dared to venture above ground again. When they did, they retraced their steps to that chain-link fence. Dean used a crowbar he'd found amongst the debris of one of the buildings to jimmy a hole through the wiring big enough to fit the two of them through.

There was dim light coming from the lampposts, waning light, and Dean and Andie moved as quickly as they could through the bullet casings littering the ground. Some were fresh, but some were deep in the mud. It was clear that what the pair had witnessed was _not_ the military's first run in with the infected.

The soft light glimmered on a sign hanging haphazardly off the side of more chain-link fence further up the street. Andie read it as she walked towards it; her heart sinking as in a few words, the sign answered a lot of questions:

**CROATOAN**** VIRUS**  
**HOT ZONE**  
**NO ENTRY**  
**BY ORDER OF ACTING REGIONAL COMMAND**  
**AUGUST 1, 2014**  
**KANSAS CITY**

"August first... 2014..." Dean read.

"Aw, crap." Andie whined. "We time-travelled again."

**xxx**


	5. Not A Second Time

*Too excited about this chapter to wait until tomorrow; I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it :) This is the chapter I envisioned whilst watching The End all those months ago*

**Chapter 5**

_Not A Second Time_

Soon after they saw the sign, Andie and Dean stumbled into a street lined with cars in various states of disrepair. They split up until Andie found a relatively undamaged pickup with at least half a tank of gas. It was like Cass's truck; had a back seat and a huge tray behind it; if this one weren't slate gray it would have been a pretty close match.

Dean decided before they started meddling with things; they should go to Bobby's. He was the only one who wouldn't either kill them or laugh at them when they mentioned they were from 2009. The bigger problem in Andie's eyes was that she didn't have her powers. Even on little things like flicking on the radio or moving the windscreen wipers; she couldn't move a thing. And on top of that; there was only static on the radio – always a bad sign.

"Maybe that's why Ellie can't hear me..." She muttered out loud. "She can't hear me calling... something's blocking it..."

"Maybe it's 'cos there's already one of you here?" Dean ventured. "Like... only one of you can have your power at the same time...in the same time...?"

"Croatoan pandemic reaches Australia." Zachariah's holier-than-thou voice piped up from the back seat. "You're old stomping ground, huh?" He thwacked Andie on the back of the neck with the newspaper he was reading from.

"Dammit," Dean swerved slightly. "I thought I smelled your stink on this _Back to the Future_ crap."

Zachariah ignored him and just kept reading. "_President Palin defends bombing of Houston_. Certainly a buyer's market in real estate. Let's see what's happening in sports." He flipped to the back of the paper but then stopped himself. "That's right—no more sports. Congress revoked the right to group assembly. What's left of Congress, that is. Hardly a quorum, if you ask me.

Andie swivelled in her seat to glare at him. "How did you find us?"

"Afraid we had to tap some unorthodox resources of late," Zachariah told them. "Human informants. We've been making inspirational visits to the fringier Christian groups. They've been given your image, told to keep an eye out."

Dean cast a look at Andie. "The Bible freak outside the motel—he, what, dropped a dime on us?" That creep had tried to feel Andie up when they checked in.

Zachariah smirked. "Onward, Christian soldiers."

"Okay, well, good, great. You have had your jollies. Now send us back, you son of a bitch." Dean snarled at the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, you'll get back," Zachariah assured them. "All in good time. We want you to marinate a bit." He held up three fingers on his right hand. "Three days, Dean. Three days to see where this course of action takes you two."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Andie questioned.

"It means that your choices have consequences." Zachariah said. "This is what happens to the world if you continue to say "no" to Michael. Have a little look-see." And in a blink; he was gone.

"Self-righteous pain in my ass..." Dean sneered under his breath.

"Palin's president here?" Andie shook her head. "That's not good for anybody."

Dean's chest heaved in a huge sigh. "Let's hope Bobby has some answers..."

Unfortunately; Bobby didn't have answers because Bobby was nowhere to be found. His house was ransacked, papers everywhere, furniture turned over; it had always been untidy; now it was actually a mess. And in the centre of his living room was his wheelchair, the one he had been confined too after the stab with the demon knife, gathering rust and cobwebs. The dust around the wheelchair was thick and settled; no one had walked through here in a long time.

Dean flipped over the chair, balking at the site of three bullet holes in the back of it with dried blood around each one. "Where is everybody, Bobby?" He asked to no one.

Wiping away the thick cobwebs above the fireplace, Andie located the hidden compartment within which was John Winchester's journal. She handed it over to Dean who let it fall open on a page with a photograph sticking out. "Man... it's Cas... and he looks... normal..." He handed the photo to Andie.

If it wasn't for such grave circumstances, Andie would have giggled at the photo. Bobby sitting in his wheelchair shotgun held proud, Castiel over his left shoulder in vintage T-shirt and canvas jacket, and three men she didn't recognize to Bobby's left, all of whom were also armed. And they were standing next to a sign that read what Andie knew would be her and Dean's next location. Camp Chitaqua.

Andie and Dean filled up one of Bobby's old cars, ironically now they were all in _better_ shape than the ones out on the street, filled it with gas, stacked up on weapons and headed back out on the road.

Even without Andie's locator sense, they found Camp Chitaqua by nightfall. They hid the car about a mile from the camp itself and took to it on foot. From the road they could see that it was heavily guarded, so they kept slow and to the thick bushes as they made their way to the gate. Dean took the lead and shielded them behind the big welcoming sign that they had seen in the photo while two sentries wandered past. Dean watched them leave, and then saw something that made him feel physically sick. "Oh, baby, no..."

Andie furrowed her brow and looked over his shoulder; it actually made her gasp too. It was the Impala. Well, what was left of her; she was a wreck, a weather-beaten shell of the glory that she used to be.

Dean snuck through the gate under the chain-lock and made a beeline for his precious car. Andie was right behind him, agape at the poor thing. She actually looked in pain. Dean knelt down beside her front wheels and looked dejectedly through the smashed window to her ripped seat cushions. "Oh, baby, what did they do to you?"

Andie found herself smiling about how cute he was being, but her smile vanished when she heard a heavy footstep crush the ground behind her. She turned and was face to face with Dean. A slightly older Dean; but Dean nonetheless. He looked at her; staring in profound shock. Then he sneered and smacked her over the head with the butt of his rifle.

**xxx**

Andie was sick of waking up in pain.

This time; it was the side of her head. It was throbbing so hard she didn't want to open her eyes. She knew she was lying on a floor; but where, or even when, it was she didn't know yet.

"Andie?" Dean's voice quietly called to her. "It's ok."

Pressing herself up off the cold floor; she realized she was in some sort of shack. Dean was handcuffed to a pole and she was lashed to a water pipe with chains. "Well, this is kinky," She grumbled as she awkwardly shifted into a sitting position. She was about a foot from Dean; their legs grazed against each other. "God, my head is killing me."

"Mine too," Dean muttered. "Who knocked us out?"

Andie remembered it all too vividly. "You did." Dean gave her a weird look. "Not _you_ you, another you," The door crashed open and that Other Dean walked towards them. "_That_ you!"

"Silence," Other Dean said to her.

"Huh..." Andie glanced from her shackles to the two versions of her husband. "I had a dream like this once..."

"I said shut it!" Other Dean yelled.

"What the Hell?" Dean screamed in his own face.

"I should be asking that question, don't you think?" Other Dean said. "In fact, why don't you give me one good reason why I shouldn't gank you both right here and now?"

"Because you'd only be hurting yourself." Dean smirked.

Other Dean didn't look amused. "Very funny."

"Look, man," Dean tried to sound normal; odd considering the circumstances were far from it. "I'm no shapeshifter or demon or anything, okay?"

"Yeah, I know. I did the drill while you were out." Other Dean informed him. "Silver, salt, holy water—nothing. But you know what was funny? Was that you had every hidden lockpick, box cutter, and switchblade that I carry. Now, you want to explain that? Oh, and the, uh, resemblance, while you're at it?"

"Zachariah." Dean said plainly. "I'm you from the tail end of 2009. Zach plucked us outta bed and threw us five years into the future."

"Where is he?" Other Dean promptly asked. "I want to talk to him."

Dean had no reply. "I don't know."

Other Dean scoffed. "Oh, you don't know."

"No, we don't know!" Andie interrupted; he gave her that weird expression again. "Look, we just want to get back to our own year, okay?"

His eyes, narrowed, paused on her for a moment longer, and then drifted to his twin. "Okay. If you're me, then tell me something only I would know."

Dean thought a moment. "Rhonda Hurley." He smiled. "We were nineteen. She made us try on her panties. They were pink. And satiny. And you know what? We kind of liked it."

"Oh yeh, I've definitely had this dream." Andie muttered with a little smile.

"Touché." Other Dean relented slightly. "So, what, Zach zapped you up here to see how bad it gets?"

"I guess. Croatoan virus, right?" Dean guessed "That's their endgame?"

"It's efficient, it's incurable, and it's scary as hell." Other Dean confirmed. "Turns people into monsters. Started hitting the major cities about two years ago. World really went in the crapper after that."

"What about Sam?" Dean asked carefully.

Other Dean suddenly stopped short. "Heavyweight showdown in Detroit." He said tersely. "From what I understand, Sam didn't make it."

"You weren't with him?" Dean was visibly shocked.

"No. No, me and Sam, we haven't talked in," He laughed humourlessly. "Hell, five years."

"We never tried to find him?" Dean asked.

"I got other people to worry about." His eyes shifted to Andie for a moment, and then he came towards her. He was so abrupt in his movement that it put her off for a minute.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked, his heart picking up in pace. "What are you going to do with her?"

"I got to run an errand." He said as he untied Andie. "And you'll be quiet while I do it." He added cruelly to her.

"Jeez, what's with you?" Andie scowled as he roughly released her and pulled her to her feet.

"Don't you hurt her," Dean warned, trying unsuccessfully to pull his wrists from the cuffs. "She's with me! She's fine! Go and get Future Andie and she'll sort it out!" Other Dean didn't say anything. "What, you're just gonna leave me here?"

"Yes. I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse hanging over their head." Other Dean snarled down at him. "The last thing they need to see is a version of _The Parent Trap_. So, yeah, you stay locked down."

"Okay, fine, but you don't have to cuff me, man." Dean called, yanking on his bindings. "Come on; you don't trust yourself?"

Other Dean smirked. "No. Absolutely not." And with that, he left.

Dean dragged Andie by her hands across the yard past the hollowed out Impala to another shed, an empty shed, and he shoved her inside.

"Hey!" Andie cried out as she stumbled. "What the Hell is wrong with you-ah!" She was cut off by Dean's hands gripping around her throat.

"I'm gonna ask you once; just once, you hear me?" He snarled at her. "Who are you?"

Andie squeezed her fingers around his and tried to pull him off. "I'm Andie." She answered bitterly; to which he tightened his grip on her throat. "God!" She was so pissed that her powers were on the fritz; but she had a backup. Swiftly; she brought her knee up into Dean's crotch and he let her go, buckling over. As he did; Andie kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back a few feet.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled. "Other than being a complete dick, I mean."

Wiping blood from his lip; Dean looked up at her. "Fine, if you're Andie; move me!" He got unsteadily to his feet and held out his arms. "Come on; toss me across this room!"

Andie tried, willing with all her might for her power to come through for her as it had so many times in the past. But nothing. He didn't even budge when she swiped her hand at him; and he seemed quite pleased with this. "I can't, ok?" She snapped defensively; it was so hard to believe that this was the same Dean; just a little older. Five years had changed him so much. "I haven't been able to use any of my powers since we woke up here!"

Dean's face contorted into an ugly sneer. "That's 'cos you're lying." He advanced on her.

Andie was ready this time; she kicked him in the solar plexus and then rammed her knuckles into his chin. "Why? Why do you think I'm lying?" Andie shrugged helplessly. "Why do you believe him but you don't believe me?" She gestured to her _normal _Dean in the other shed.

"Because _you_ can't be here!" Dean roared back panting as he caught his breath.

"_WHY NOT_?" Andie screamed back.

Pain flickered across his eyes. "Because you're dead; you died in my arms!"

That sentence rang through the shed with such a resonance Andie was sure she felt the walls shudder. _Dead?_ That was impossible. _Impossible_. "What? No..." She took a huge step back. "No, I...wh-when?" She stammered.

Dean sighed, his eyes dark and clouded. "A month after our daughter was born."

**xxx**


	6. To Know Her Is To Love Her

**Chapter 6:**

_To Know Her Is To Love Her_

Andie's mouth just hung open as she stared at Dean, so many questions running through her head she didn't know which one to ask. She was dead and a mother... this was exactly the future she was desperate to avoid; and now, however unknowingly, Dean saying 'no' to Michael would make it the present...

"That's why you can't be here..." Dean broke the silence a moment later, all anger at her seemingly gone for now. "Because you're _not_ here." He sank down onto a rickety crate and gripped his hands together.

"That's why my power doesn't work," Andie muttered in reply. "Because I'm not alive here..."

Dean sharply nodded his head and interlaced his fingers. "You were right. Whatever kept you from dying; it got passed on to Annie."

"Annie?" Andie repeated.

"Yeah," Dean cleared his throat. "You wanted to call her Maddie... but after you died, I, ah, changed it... named her after you, I guess... Andrea Madeline Winchester." He coughed. "I just, couldn't, ah... call her Andie..."

"How did it happen?" Sure, it was morbid to ask about her own death; but Andie was curious.

"Almost two years ago, I... I came back to the motel," Dean began. "I could hear Annie crying from outside... I knew something was wrong. You were..." He stammered a little. "You were on the floor... there was blood... everywhere..." His eyes were hazy with the memory overcoming him again. "When I pulled you into my arms... you smiled..." He had to cough to keep from crying. "And you asked me if I was okay..."

"Wow..." Andie cleared her throat and blinked back tears.

"Yeah," Dean muttered uncomfortably as he rose to his feet. "Look, we got a way we do things here... I just... I don't think everyone else should see you..."

"So, what, I stay in this shed?"

Dean paused by the door. "Annie's sleeping now; you can wait in there."

"No, no, no, no; the shed is fine." Andie declined immediately. "I like the shed; love the shed, even."

Dean pulled open the door and waited. "Main house; room at the back right. The one with the sleeping baby in it. Sentries are on the other side of the compound, everyone else is at dinner. Go now and you won't be seen."

"And what about _my_ Dean?" Andie asked.

"He's probably picked his cuffs by now; but he won't get far." He motioned two fingers to get her moving forwards. "Get moving, come on."

Biting her tongue down on her nerves, Andie left the shed, and Dean, behind and sprinted across the field passed the Impala. She stopped herself by the front door, waiting for the hollers of someone who had seen her, but none came. Relieved, she snuck through the front door and crept towards the back of the house, then down the hall and to the last room on the right. Andie gently pushed through the door and immediately thought she'd walked into the wrong room; all she saw was an empty double bed and a few of Dean's clothes around the floor; but when she got a full view of the room she saw that it was as though someone had smushed two rooms together; a nursery and a guy's bedroom.

Opposite to the double bed was changing table, rocking chair and a handful of toys scattered around. Everything was slightly battered and looked collapsible, made for a quick getaway; Andie supposed. There was a small, pale cerulean bassinet with a gray hood over one side. From where she was standing, Andie could see the teeny, tiny body of a little person in there. She had two options. Sit and wait on the bed... or take a peek at this kid. Curiosity got the better of her; she chose the latter.

She had done the quick math in her head; Annie was roughly twenty months old so by no means a newborn infant; but she still looked so fragile when Andie laid eyes on her. She was sleeping on her back, a powder pink blanket embroidered with symbols tucked gently underneath her body. Her hair was very dark, almost black, and she had a hell of a lot of it; and her tiny pink hands were balled into fists resting on either side of her head.

"Hi," Andie whispered; realizing she was smiling. "Hi, Annie..." She slowly reached her hand out towards the baby.

"Get away from her." A dangerous voice warned followed by the sound of a handgun cocking.

Andie quickly recoiled, lifted her hands in surrender and turned, almost in shock at the woman who stood before her. Five-years-on-Dean was nothing compared to what the time had done to Cassidy. Her blonde hair was gone; she was back to black. Her face was drawn; tired. She had a scar down her cheek and healing bruises on her arms.

"Cassidy; it's okay," Other Dean came into the room out of nowhere and immediately stood in front of Andie. "She's real..."

Cass narrowed her eyes and didn't lower her gun. "She's dead."

"I'm not the same me, you idiot," Andie spat at her. "I'm from 2009. Dean and I got shifted here by friggin' Zachariah." She saw Cass's eyes flicker to Dean. "Not this Dean, another Dean." She smacked him on the shoulder. "Dammit; you two are paranoid in the future."

A soft whimpering caught everyone off guard; Annie was waking up and she wasn't amused by all the noise.

"Cass, can you take Annie awhile?" Dean asked her.

"Sure," Cassidy kept a stern eye on Andie whilst she lifted the child from her bed. "C'mon, little lady."

Andie couldn't take her eyes of the baby and she didn't know why at first. That beautiful hair and perfect little face... a perfect copy of her own features. She couldn't stop staring because this child looked exactly like her. Except her eyes; she had Dean's eyes. And those eyes locked into Andie's as Cassidy walked her away.

"What's going on?" A male voice called from the doorway. He faltered when he saw the new visitor. "Andie?"

Andie's eyes widened. "Luka?" She smiled. He was still a cutie; but he had a whole gruff, angst-ridden, sexy farmhand look to him now. "What are you doing here?"

"He's my husband," Cassidy answered as she shoved a bewildered Luka back out the door muttering to him that she'd explain later.

Little Annie's sparkling eyes lingered on Andie before her view was cut as the door closed. "Cass got _married_... whoa..." She turned to Dean. "Things are so weird here..." She laughed but cut herself off when she saw the way he was looking at her; that weird look from before. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"I haven't heard you laugh in almost two years," He said with a sad smile. "It's, ah, hard to get used to."

"Sorry." Andie muttered. "So...we have a baby... I still can't get my head around that one..." Dean just nodded. Andie sat in the rocking chair; it was a hell of a lot of information to take in one hit, no wonder her legs were shaking. "Cass takes care of her?"

"Yeah; after you, ah," He cleared his throat, obviously not wanting to say 'after you died'. "Y'know... afterwards, she came back with Luka to help for awhile. Awhile turned into two years... she's great with Annie; excellent, really."

Andie scratched the back of her neck and as she did so, noticed a photo on the shelf behind the bassinet. She saw herself, similar to how she looked that very moment, holding a newborn baby up close to her face, Dean's head somehow was also wedged into the picture on an angle that illustrated he had taken the picture himself.

"Took that the day we brought her home," Dean informed her. "She slept all night that night... she slept though the night up until the night you died..." He shuffled his feet and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Never slept properly since."

"She's... beautiful..." Andie said, kicking her feet off the floor so she started rocking. Normally all babies looked the same to Andie; she didn't really have strong feelings either way for them... but Annie was different. That was her blood, her skin, her face... her child.

"Yes, she is." Dean agreed.

"I never thought I'd see Dean Winchester convert his room into a nursery..." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, well... a lot of things have changed." He replied sternly. "She doesn't go far from me or Cassidy."

"She's protected, though, right?"

"Yeah, but still... I won't take any risks. I've lost everyone else... not her." He squared his jaw, his glassy eyes locking onto Andie's. "Not her." Try as he did to stop it; Dean felt his chin begin to quiver. "One month..." He said. "We only got one month as a family." He looked at his hands. "And now you're here and..." He stared back up at her, letting his eyes water with the emotion. "You look... gorgeous."

Andie felt a lump forming in her throat as her rocking came to a standstill, she could only offer him a wobbly smile in return.

"All I can think is..." Dean cleared his throat loudly. "How much I just wanted one more minute with you; just _one_ more."

"I'm here now." Andie said barely above a whisper.

That look he was giving her suddenly changed. His brow furrowed and chin clenched; he was holding back tears. "I wanted to tell you... that... Annie is the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life... and _you_ gave her to me. And I can't love you enough for it..." He smirked a little. "It took you dying for me to realize that. And I know, how I am right now in your world that I'd never tell you that, but believe me; I'm thinking it, Andie."

"I love you, too," Andie rose from the rocking chair and approached him. "Despite my better judgement, Lord help me, I love you." She chuckled lightly and stopped in front of him. His eyes scanned her whole body from toe to head; lingering on her eyes as if he expected her to disappear right before him.

It almost became too much for Dean when she reached out and touched his face. He closed his eyes and let her run her fingers down his jaw line. "I miss you so much..." He whispered.

Andie could only smile and gently stroke the sides of his face. "I hope you know..." She faltered only for a moment. "I've never doubted for one second that we're meant to be together." She could feel a tear slide down her cheek as he gently entwined his fingers around her wrists; remembering her touch; how she made him feel.

"Andie..." His eyes were almost begging as he looked up at her. "Kiss me."

With pleasure, Andie kissed Dean full on the mouth, tasting the saltiness of both of their tears mixing on his lips. She'd never felt a kiss like this before; one that she could get very easily lost in. He was kissing her like it was the last time; because it was. At least, for this Dean it was.

Dean's walkie crackled with someone asking for help, he painfully pulled himself away from Andie and responded saying he'd be there soon. Both out of breath from the emotional exertion of that kiss, Andie just rested her head against his forehead as they panted in unison. He didn't want to let her go; he kept running his hands up and down her arms, memorizing how she felt beneath his fingertips. "I have to go." He whispered as he buried his lips in the hair behind her ear. "Wait here, I'll be back soon." He pulled himself away from her and walked to the nursery side of the room. "Here, this might help..." He pulled a metal box from the shelf underneath the bassinet and handed it to her.

Andie settled on the bed, sat the box on her lap and opened it. Inside were video cassettes with dates written on the labels. "What are these?" She asked as she filed through them.

"You made them." Dean said gravely. "From the day you found out you were pregnant..." He swallowed hard. "You took it as a death sentence – nine months left to live. And you wanted Annie to be prepared for life without you so...TV's in there," He gestured to the room across the hall. "I'll be back soon."

Andie took the box into the living room and sat on the carpet just in front of the television. The tapes were in order sorted by date so she grabbed the oldest one and stuck it in the aging VCR. The TV whirred to life and Andie hit play. An image of herself flickered onto the screen, looking very much as she did that same day, smiling at the camera. "Hi, baby... I'm... well, I'm your mama." Andie couldn't help but smile at herself.

"And, believe me this is cliché for my time but it still fits," She continued on the tape. "If you're watching this that means I'm dead... or I got bored and decided to show you this for some reason... anyway, I just thought it would be nice for you to have something to remind you of me. 'Cos my mum, your grandma, she didn't really leave me with any good memories..."

For three hours, Andie sat and watched herself speak to her unborn daughter. She saw her own belly swell as the pregnancy continued through each tape, the messages ranging from funny little stories to serious conversations about demon hunting. She could hardly believe that was her, especially in the later months of the pregnancy – she was _huge_ – but there was no denying it. Before she knew it, Andie was on the last cassette. Slowly; she pushed it into the VCR and hit play.

She saw herself again, this time not pregnant, but holding a new baby in her arms. "Hi, Annie... this is you... you and me. You're three weeks old today... to be honest I never thought I'd get to make you another tape so while your father's asleep I thought I'd make one for you...I've told you a lot of stuff over these tapes; I know that. Some boring, some interesting, some funny...I hope you laughed, if not it means you somehow got Cass's sense of humour..." She sighed. "Anyway... I don't have anything else to tell you except... I love you. I never thought I'd love you this way, I never expected it to be so... overpowering. And God knows I don't wanna leave you... but..."

And then nothing. The tape ran out.

"Andie?" Dean called from the doorway.

Turning, Andie saw that it was _her_ Dean, not the Other Dean. And from the look on his face, he'd seen at least the last video.

"What was that?"

"We have a baby." Andie said; and then she burst into tears. Her mind was racing; she didn't love this child she'd only just met, she had no connection to her really, but the very thought of abandoning her own daughter caused a physically emotive reaction that shook Andie to her core. She'd become the one thing she never wanted to be; a mother. More specifically; her own mother, who chose to end her life rather than raise her daughter, a burden Andie would never be relieved from and had just discovered would pass on to another generation. Her greatest fear would come true.

"Hey," Dean dropped to his knees beside her. "It's okay, it's just a kid. I know you don't really like 'em, but-"

"No, no... Dean... my mother left me alone." Andie wailed at him, even though he seemed utterly confused. "I promised myself I would _never_ do that to my own child... and I've done it anyway! She's alone! I'm dead; I'm not here!"

"Ok, c'mere, it's ok," Dean pulled her struggling body against his chest, understanding the depth of her pain. "Baby; it'll be okay."

"How? How will it be okay?" She sobbed into his shoulder as she clung to him. "This is _exactly_ the future I'm trying to keep us away from and it happens anyway."

Gathering her up in his arms, Dean could do nothing. The realization that Andie wasn't here in his future didn't hit him immediately, because it was such a foreign concept. He was used to his life with her, he was _happy_ with his life with her... so much so that life _without_ her was unfathomable. "It's not our future," Dean promised her. "It's not; we're gonna change it, you hear me?" He stroked the back of her head and let her hair tangle between his fingers. "We're gonna fix this." For a moment, Dean saw his own reflection staring down on them from the doorway, they locked eyes for a moment, and then he was gone.

A desperate Andie in his arms, apparently Other Dean couldn't witness it again. He had to fix this; he had to change their future. His life didn't work without Andie; that much was clear from these surroundings. Nothing worked. Castiel was human, Cassidy was a shell of her former-self, Sam was dead, Bobby was gone... and Dean? He was missing, too. Not in form; but in mind; because he'd died the same day she did. And the perfection that was Annie didn't heal him as he hoped it would; it was more a reminder of what he'd lost, a constant reminder that he had let her die.

As Dean cradled a broken Andie in his arms, he wondered how the hell he'd managed this long without her. How had he lived almost two years without her warmth to his body, her laugh in his ears, the smile she put on his face...

Then, a child's laughter caught his ears. He remembered that laugh; it was the same laugh he'd heard in the dream Castiel had shown him of the future if they won this war, a future where Andie was happy, and had not one but two daughters, one of which had that beautiful laugh.

Through the window of the room, Dean saw the child in Cassidy's arms. It took him a moment to realize it was Cass, she looked so different... changed, and that baby... that was _his_ baby; he knew it from the moment he laid eyes on her. Andie's features; but his eyes. Their daughter. She was what Dean needed to go on without Andie, she had to be... otherwise he would've given up.

Andie's sobs softened to whimpers and her tight grasp around Dean's neck relented; she just sank into his chest and let the tears fall down her cheeks. She didn't want this future, she couldn't handle it. Here she was, collapsed on a floor in Dean's arms sobbing; she could not handle this. Even though the day before she would have gone to her grave telling Dean not to say 'yes' to Michael, right now she couldn't understand why. He had to say yes; because for Andie it was a matter of life or death, and she refused to put the burden of abandonment on a child.

** xxx**


	7. That'll Be The Day

*Happy Birthday to my friend Andi! :) Who is the inspiration for Cassidy, if anyone was wondering :) And a ginormic sweetheart*

**Chapter 7:**

_That'll Be The Day_

Dean managed to get Andie to the couch and practically force her to lie down. After that, he went in search of himself. Andie wasn't making sense when she tried to tell him that the Dean of _this_ time didn't know how she died. That was bull crap; he knew and he wasn't telling her.

The sun was peeking over the horizon as Dean made his way through the thin veil of shrubs towards the headquarters building. He'd been doing some scanning of the area; it was set out pretty efficiently. He'd thought that he would have done it in much the same way, and then of course realized that he had. His future self was paranoid about him being seen by the other soldiers on the compound, but Dean was stealthy enough to keep himself hidden... until he rounded a corner and walked smack bang into Luka.

"Geez!" Dean jumped back. Luka had his shotgun raised in a fighting stance.

"Sorry..." Luka lowered the gun. "We're jumpy around here. What are you sneaking around corners for anyway?"

"I need to talk to... me, I guess." Dean told him.

"Yeah, well, the other you went on a perimeter sweep an hour ago," Luka said slinging the gun over his shoulder. "I expect you'll be back soon." He gave a wry grin.

"Huh... I like you." Dean smiled shakily. "Y'know back in my time I haven't met you yet; here are we, what, totally BFF's?"

Luka gave him a weird look. "Not exactly. I'm here for Cass and Annie. You and I share a beer at night; but that's about it." The pair started walking back towards the headquarters building. "Sometimes I think he thinks I'm Sam."

A car and a jeep suddenly came bursting up the driveway, kicking up pebbles and dust as they halted just in front of the headquarters. Two soldiers got out of the car, and Other Dean and a third soldier climbed out of the jeep.

Dean made a beeline for his clone, ignoring the little rule about not being seen. "Hey, you! I need to talk to you." He stopped in his tracks when he saw Other Dean aim a gun at one of the soldiers. "Hey! Watch out!" he yelled to the unsuspecting man; but he was too late. The gun went off; and the man was dead.

Other Dean turned to the remaining soldiers who were staring agape between the two Deans. "I'm not gonna lie to you." He said to his comrades. "Me and him? It's a pretty messed-up situation we got going. But believe me, when you need to know something, you will know it. Until then, we all have work to do." With that he sent them off for sentry duty and asked Luka to dispose of the body so he could have a little one-on-one time with himself.

"What the hell was that?" Other Dean spat accusingly as he shoved his replica into the Headquarters building.

"What the hell was _that_?" Dean countered in shock. "You just shot a guy in cold blood!"

"We were in an open quarantine zone." Other Dean replied pointedly. "Got ambushed by some Croats on the way out." He saw the expression on his doppelgangers face was asking for more information. "Croats. Croatoans; the undead. One of them infected that guy, Yeager."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause after a few years of this, I _know_." He replied knowledgeably. "I started seeing symptoms about a half an hour ago. Wasn't gonna be long before he flipped. I didn't see the point in troubling a good man with bad news."

"'Troubling a good man'?" Dean repeated in confusion. "You just blew him away in front of your own people! Don't you think that freaked them out a little bit?"

"It's 2014." Other Dean replied. "Plugging some Croat, its called commonplace. Trading words with my friggin' clone-_that_ might have freaked them out a little." He tossed his shotgun aside and pulled off his jacket. "This isn't your time." He dropped his jacket and advanced on his duplicate. "It's _mine_. _You_ don't make the decisions._ I_ do. So, when I say stay in, you _stay_ _in_."

Dean dropped the argument. "Where were you, anyway? No perimeter check takes over an hour. Not one done by me, anyway."

Other Dean sighed and pulled something out of his pocket. Dean's eyes almost sprang out of his head. "The Colt?" He could hardly believe it was the same gun. "Where was it?"

"Everywhere." His twin shrugged. "They've been moving it around. Took me five years, but...I finally got it. And tonight?" He gave a twisted smile. "Tonight, I'm gonna kill the Devil."

**xxx**

Andie awoke from a quick but refreshing nap, hoping maybe this end of the world crap had been a bad little dream, but then she saw the box of cassette tapes on the floor before she was even on her feet. It was real. The sun was up now, it was well and truly morning. As if on cue, Andie's stomach growled for breakfast so she wandered into the kitchen and almost yelped out loud when she saw Cassidy at the stove.

"Hungry?" Cass asked timidly as she stirred something in a saucepan.

"Yeah, thanks." Andie sat herself at the table and noticed that Annie was sitting in a high chair at the other end of the table. She was nibbling on some dry cereal, chewing slowly as she watched her late mother join her for a meal.

"Oatmeal's all we got right now, we'll have to make a food run at some point soon," Cass murmured as she filled two bowls.

"Where's everyone else?" Andie asked, pulling the sleeves of her sweatshirt down to her wrists.

"They eat on the other side of the compound. Luka, Annie, Dean and I eat here." She came back to the table and set a plate of oatmeal and a spoon in front of Andie and Annie respectively. She watched her old friend for a moment and then shook her head back and forth. "This is too weird." She declared.

"Thank God you said it." Andie exhaled with an uneasy giggle.

"You've been gone for two years..." Cass sat in the chair closest to the baby but faced Andie. "I just... I can't believe it's you."

Andie smiled awkwardly. "I can't believe you're not a blonde anymore... I'd gotten used to it."

"Yeah, well, after you... y'know," She tucked a strand of blackened hair behind her ear. "I guess I stopped colouring it."

"Ca-uh!" Annie squealed thrusting her spoon at Cassidy.

"No, you feed yourself, baby girl," Cassidy told her, placing her spoon back in the bowl. "You know how."

"Ca-uh?" Andie repeated as Annie dutifully went back to her food.

"It's how she says my name... she calls Luka "Ooh-la"." Cass grinned.

Andie smiled, and then Annie smiled. The same smile.

"So, you said you're from oh-nine, right?" Cassidy asked. "I'm guessing around this time that year, which would be a few months after I died, right?"

"Yeah..." Andie swallowed down some oatmeal, it wasn't her favourite food, but Cass always had a knack cooking things in a way that made them appeal to even Andie's picky tastebuds. "I just sent you back to Luka." A thought occurred to her. "When did you two get married?"

"About a year ago." Cass replied. "It was a bad time... the Croatoan virus had just covered the whole of the States..." She fiddled with the black, plastic bracelets adorning almost half her wrist. "We thought for sure we were goners." She shrugged. "Seemed like a good enough reason to marry a guy I loved." She smiled pensively. "Living through it was a bonus."

"Huh... the Cass I left behind is nowhere near looking to get married." Andie chuckled.

Cass's jaw clenched. "I'm _not_ the Cass you left behind."

"I can see that." Andie frowned. "Why don't you drop the bitch-itude?"

"How long did you live without me, Morgan? When I died?" She asked suddenly. "Hm? One week? Two?"

"Five days." Andie replied nervously.

"That's right. Five days." She smiled patronizingly. "And every one of those days you were trying to find a way to bring me back, you didn't stop until I was breathing again. So imagine if another five days went by, and I still wasn't there." Her voice started quivering. "And then another and another and another." Her eyes grew tearful. "Nothing worked. Ellie was gone; _all _the angels were gone... all I had was this little girl who would smile your smile and laugh your laugh..." She stroked the back of Annie's mess of dark chocolate hair, biting her lip to keep from crying. "So I stopped looking for a way to bring you back and just did... what I thought you'd want me to do. Took care of her, and of Dean."

"I'm sorry." That was all Andie could think to say, and she didn't even know what she was apologizing for.

Cass shook her head. "It's not your fault your here... I'm sorry... for the way I've acted today; it's just... seeing you again after everything..." She gave a wobbly smile. "We don't have a lot of good days here, y'know?"

Andie nodded slowly. "I can imagine... I've seen Dawn of the Dead."

Cass's smile strengthened on her face and she gave a very light chuckle. "I preferred Shaun of the Dead."

"I knew you were gonna say that." Andie said in the same breath, causing the both of them to laugh.

"Ca-uh!" Annie cried, banging her spoon against her empty bowl.

"Hungry, huh?" Cass promptly got up and cleared their plates. "Oh, you're a mess..."

"She eats like Dean..." Andie muttered; smirking at the oatmeal smeared across Annie's cheeks and button nose.

"She sure does." Cass agreed, wiping off Annie's face with a moist cloth. "Do you.. want some coffee?"

"Sure." Andie agreed, handing her empty bowl to her friend.

"Ba-ba- hurrah badda." Annie said with a serious face, pointing to the open hallway door which promptly slammed shut.

"Annie!" Cass scolded her. "Not inside." She crossed her hands making an X with her wrists and shaking her head. "Not in the house." Annie pouted and stuffed her whole fist in her mouth in reply.

"Wow..." Andie was impressed; with her own power suddenly dormant it was quite cool to see it live on, so to speak. "She can aim already?"

"Yeah," Cass said clicking on the kettle. "Not everyone at the camp knows about her powers; so we have to try and keep it quiet... with all the demons around... Dean doesn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about her." She paused. "He has a lot of rules when it comes to Annie." Her head skewed to the left, she could hear a familiar crackling. "Shoot; that's my radio. I'll be right back."

"Up! Up! Up!" Annie demanded as Cass walked past her.

"You heard the girl," Cass said to Andie. "Up." And then she disappeared down the hall.

"Up!" Annie directed her demand at Andie. "Up!"

"Ok, ok, ok," Andie got to her feet and approached the baby. It was quite surreal. Annie, however, didn't see any significance; she just wanted to be picked up; her chubby little hands were flailing as she reached for her mother. "Alright..." Andie picked her up under her armpits and held her dangling for a second before trying to re-enact how she'd seen Cass hold her before. "There..." She settled Annie on her hip. "God, you're heavy." She looped both her arms under Annie; she seemed comfortable.

Annie lifted her finger to her mother's face and pressed the tip against her nose. "Bada gah!" She giggled and threw her head into Andie's shoulder, apparently finding this hilarious.

Andie laughed, for no other reason than because the baby was, too. Her laugh was infectious; especially since she was laughing at nothing. "You are such a little weirdo..." She smiled. "You are most definitely my kid..."

**xxx**

"The Devil?" Dean repeated as he paced with his future self. "You're going to kill Lucifer? How are you even going to find him?"

"We don't have to find him. We know where he is." Other Dean revealed. "The demon that we caught last week, he was one of the big guy's entourage. He knew."

Dean stopped pacing. "And you believe a demon?

"Oh, trust me, he wasn't lying." Other Dean halted pacing as well, his voice very cold. "I know how to get to the truth."

Dean knew that tone; he knew what _He_ was doing. "Torture? Oh, so, we're torturing again? Classy."

"Lucifer is here. Now." Other Dean began to pace again, a sudden fervour to his steps. "I know the block, and I know the building. It's right in the middle of a hot zone; crawling with Croats." He saw the look cross his past self's face. "You think my plan is reckless?"

Dean sneered slightly. "Are you saying we, uh, walk in straight up the driveway, past all the demons and the Croats, and we shoot the Devil?"

"Yes."

"Then yeh; it's reckless." Dean pouted; right now he had something else on his mind. "And what about Andie?" He said, seeing his future self wince at the mention of her name.

"What about her?" He replied, unsuccessfully trying to sound nonchalant.

"She's dead here." The very sentence burned his tongue. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"You didn't need to know."

"But _she_ did?" Dean's voice rose as he ranted. "Do you see what '_knowing'_ did to her?" He scoffed a laugh in disbelief at his own – albeit future – stupidity.

"I didn't _want_ to tell her!" Other Dean snapped. "But she... I couldn't... I didn't know what to do!" He admitted tossing his arms out at his sides. "I never thought I'd see her again, ok? And then out of nowhere, she's here! Alive and happy with you! With _me_?" He ran a hand down his face and tried to steady himself, not wanting his emotions to get a hold of him again. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've seen her that way?"

Dean bit the inside of his bottom lip and folded his arms across his chest. It was strange... feeling empathy for himself. "How does she die?" He asked firmly. "I know you told her you don't know; but hell, _I_ know you better than anyone..."

Seething, Other Dean angrily kicked over a chair and then sat in a huff on an old milk crate. "We were sleeping." He started a moment later. "The baby was in the bed with us - Andie had this fear about her being taken - ... Annie started crying and we woke up." He started to sound congested. "The demon, it was standing at the foot of our bed... Andie, she, ah... she pushed Annie into my arms and tried to take it on but," His eyes fell to the ground and he shook his head. "She couldn't. It was immune to her powers and... I-I had the baby; I couldn't get to my gun." His face contorted into that heartbreaking expression as he mentally relived it over again. "And then the demon was gone, and she was just lying there..." He gulped and looked up at his younger self. "All it wanted was to kill her."

Dean stood in shock, arms folded, not believing what he was hearing. He was there? In the room with her? How could he be _in the room_ and have let this happen? "It's our fault? It's _my_ fault that she dies?" He yelled.

"Yes." Other Dean said, regaining his composure and getting to his feet. "And no, we never get over it. No matter how many times Cass or Luka or anyone tells us it's not our fault and that there's nothing we could have done, we don't care. We blame ourselves."

Dean fell backwards into the wall, glad it was there to support his weight or he would've hit the floor, and was speechless. Maybe this was why he was here, to be able to go back and change things... save her.

"Enough of this," Other Dean loudly cleared his thought. "We're leaving in an hour; be ready."

"You're taking me to kill the Devil?" Dean found his voice, although not his footing so he still leant against the wall.

"You're coming because I want you to see something." Other Dean faced him, his expression grave and stoic. "I want you to see our brother."

Dean ever so slightly lifted his head. "I thought Sam was dead."

"Sam didn't die in Detroit. He said 'yes'."

Sinking further back into the wall, Dean tried to digest this, yet another foreign concept that he'd heard today. "Yes?" He repeated.

"That's right. The big 'yes'. To the devil." Other Dean pursed his lips together. "Lucifer's wearing him to the prom."

Dean couldn't believe this, it wasn't Sam. He would never do this. "Why would he do that?"

Other Dean frowned. "Wish I knew. But now we don't have a choice. It's in him, and it's not getting out. And we've got to kill him, Dean." He clenched a fist and slapped it into his open palm "And you need to see it—the whole damn thing, how bad it gets—so you can do it different, all of this."

"What do you mean?"

"Zach said he was gonna bring you back, right? To oh-nine?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when you get back home—you say 'yes'. You hear me?" His eyes grew dark again; piercing. "Say 'yes' to Michael."

Dean held in a scoff. "That's crazy. If I let him in, then Michael fights the devil. The battle's gonna torch half the planet."

"Look around you, man!" Other Dean cried. "Half the planet's better than no planet, which is what we have now! If I could do it over again, I'd say 'yes' in a heartbeat."

"So why don't you?"

"I've tried!" He bellowed. "I've shouted 'yes' till I was blue in the face! The angels aren't listening! They just—left! Gave up! It's too late for me, but for you..." He trailed off.

"Oh, no." Dean stubbornly shook his head. "There's got to be another way."

Other Dean narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I was cocky. Never actually thought I'd lose. The war... Andie... Sam... Bobby...but I was wrong. Dean. I was wrong. I'm begging you. Say yes." There was a long pause, the pair of them exchanging the same detached yet troubled expression. "But you won't." Other Dean gave a sad half-smile. "Cause I didn't. Because that's just not us, is it?" He gave a wistful smirk and then went to get his jacket, planning to leave the conversation there, but something in his heart made him stop. _"__Qeres." He muttered. _

Dean leant up off the wall. "What?"

"That's his name." Other Dean turned; his eyes grave and shadowed. "The demon that kills Andie. Qeres." Other Dean went to the bookshelf and pulled out a very old novel. "Poison to half-and-halfs like her, as well as other angels. It's immune to her powers." He tugged a small scrap of paper from the book and handed it to his duplicate. "I researched him, but I can't track him down with Annie around; it's too dangerous."

"Why are telling me?" Dean took the scrap paper. "Why not Andie?"

"Because if she goes after this thing; she dies." He stood close to his younger face, too close, wanting to get his point across. "When you get back to your own time, I want you to track the ass-monkey down and snap his neck, and then say 'yes' to Michael." He ordered. "Because you can't do this without her. You can't handle it. You spend every single friggin' day thinking about her. And if I didn't have Annie so help me God I woulda cut my own losses a long time ago." He snatched the paper and slapped it against Dean's chest. "Qeres. Kill the son of a bitch."

"I will." Dean promised himself, both selves, stuffing the paper deep into his pocket. "You can count on it."

**xxx**


	8. All Things Must Pass

*This chapter brings with it a new character, one that I'm borrowing from the ever so lovely Andi (Selah25), Donovan Lancaster. I recommend you read her fic "Thirty Days or Less" on here!*

**Chapter 8:**

_All Things Must Pass_

Whilst returning from the bathroom, Andie heard Annie crying. Cursing herself for leaving the kid alone for two minutes, Andie jogged back to the kitchen. "Annie?" Andie called as ran. "Are you-" Her throat made a strangled cry when she saw an obviously infected Croat standing in the kitchen eyeing the wailing Annie with hunger in her eyes.

Automatically, Andie waved her hand at the Croat but, of course, nothing happened. She swore under her breath and grabbed a chair, hurling it at the Infected, blocking her path to Annie. The baby was screaming at the top of her lungs, desperately trying to climb out of her high chair. Andie grabbed a knife from the kitchen bench and hurled it at the Croat; clocking it square in the forehead.

"Annie!" Dean's voice roared.

"We're in here!" Andie called, eying the twitching body with a grossed out look on her face.

Other Dean came hurtling into the kitchen with his shotgun at the ready. "Did you get bitten?" He yelled when he saw the body.

"No," Andie assured him as the Croat seized and then shuddered to a stop. "It was just staring at Annie."

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Annie was wailing.

"It's ok," Other Dean set his gun on the table and picked up his crying daughter. "It's ok, baby, everything's fine now. Everything's fine." He patted her pat and rocked her back and forth.

Dean followed Cassidy into the kitchen. "Dammit." Cass cursed when she saw the Croat and whipped out her walkie. "Luka? We got a Croat in the house; means they breached the perimeter. Take Stark and Jones and do sweep; everyone else is on mandatory lockdown."

"You got it, baby," Luka responded.

"You okay?" Dean stood beside Andie and stared down at the Croat body.

"Yeah..." Andie looked over at Other Dean and Annie. "The way it looked at her... why didn't it just attack her?"

"Some of the women don't." Other Dean explained. "I got a theory it's because they were mothers before they were infected. The female Croats stare at her sometimes," he hugged Annie protectively. "Like they remember what it was like..." He hitched Annie to his hip and grabbed his walkie. "Luka I want perimeter reports in five minutes, you copy? They got in and they got to the house. Means we're compromised." He sighed. "Tell everyone to pack it up, we're leaving."

"Gotcha." Luka's voice crackled back over the radio.

Other Dean set off down the hall with Annie, leaving Dean and Andie bewildered. "That's Annie?" He said.

"Yeah," Andie nodded. "She's cute, huh? You named her after me."

"She looks like you... and me..."

"Most kids look like their parents," She grasped Dean's chin in her hand and twisted him around so she could see his eyes. "Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah," He blinked a few times and offered a reassuring smile, then seized her hand. "Come on; you heard me; we're outta here."

The pair headed outside where Other Dean was already loading the back of one of the jeeps, still with Annie clinging to his shoulder.

Andie spotted Castiel for the first time; he was dressed in an oversized vintage t-shirt, canvas jacket and jeans and we was swigging alcohol from a hip flask. "Man...what happened to him?" Andie asked Dean.

"He's human." Dean replied.

"You two," Other Dean pointed at the both of them. "With me; get in the jeep. Cass, you and Luka take Annie and follow close, ok?" Other Dean transferred his daughter into Cassidy's arms. "When we pull off the road; you keep going. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point tonight."

"Got it," Cass buckled Annie into the back seat of her truck and then clambered into the passenger's seat beside her husband.

Andie could see her baby as Luka steered the jeep away. Annie held her hand to the window, but didn't smile or cry, she just stared at Andie and Dean; knowing them. Remembering them. At least, that's what Andie chose to believe. They bundled up in Dean's jeep and set off, arriving at their destination within twenty minutes. Cass and Luka continued on with nothing more than a nod of the head as they drove off.

They arrived at the ramshackle home and Other Dean took the lead. "There," He said pointing his shotgun. "Second floor window. We go in there."

"You sure about this?" Stark asked as he stuffed some extra shotgun shells into his pocket.

"They'll never see us coming." Dean responded. "Trust me. Now, weapons check. We're on the move in five."

"Hey, uh.. me." Dean spoke up. "Can I talk to you for a sec?

Andie hung back as they drifted out of earshot and found herself face to face with Castiel. "Hi..."

"Hello, Andie," He smiled.

It was odd, seeing Castiel smile. He barely ever showed any emotion whatsoever, other than his vague troubled expressions whenever he was delivering bad news. "So... you have a gun, now?" She eyed his weapon.

"The only thing I'm good for since the angels up and left," He slipped his gun into the back of his jeans. "I'm useless without it."

"You're depressing."

"You're hot."

"Ok, go away,"

"Alright, that's five," Stark called. "Let's move!" He took the lead and led the crew towards the house.

Andie saw Other Dean come back alone and immediately grew concerned. "Where's Dean? What did you do to him?"

"He'll see what he needs to see." Other Dean replied. "Sam. Or rather, Lucifer riding his body." She gave him a puzzled expression. "Sam said yes. This is the world that happened if Sam says yes and I say no."

Andie knew her face was twisted up into a weird expression; but she didn't care. Or rather; she couldn't do anything about it. This was a reason she hated this future; she didn't know anything and no one clued her in. She was helpless; she hated feeling helpless. "What do you want with me?"

"I was going to keep you here." He admitted. "I know I can't; but God knows I want you to stay. And be here. For Annie... and for me. Always. But I can't. You don't belong here. You belong back in your own time." He reached out and stroked her cheek. "Don't give up. If anyone can convince me to say 'yes', it's you."

Andie just shrugged, again feeling useless. "But I didn't."

"You didn't know you had to. Zach wanted you to see the consequences, right? This is them." He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pressed a fierce kiss against her lips, echoing the one they had shared back at the compound.

"What a nice moment," Zachariah's voice spoke up. "Heya, Dean!" He added brightly.

"What the Hell do you want?" Dean pushed Andie behind him.

"My girl, there," Zach pointed at Andie. "Get a nice glimpse of where you're headed, sweetie?"

Dean aimed his shotgun directly between the angel's eyes. "You keep off, ass-face."

"Aw, did seeing her again pluck the old heartstrings?"

Dean pressed the gun against his chest. "I said, keep off!"

"Yeah," Andie echoed. "Why don't you just piss off?"

Zachariah glared at her. "You listen to me you insubordinate, castrating little pain in the ass."

"Ow." Andie replied, genuinely impressed with his manner of insult.

"You will go where I say, when I say, for how long I say, and now it's time for you to go." Before she could step back, Zachariah pressed his fingers against Andie's forehead.

Falling to her knees, Andie gasped, cursing Zachariah for his forceful removal of her from the future. She knew he'd been rougher than he had to; but she didn't care. At least she didn't have to see Sam as Lucifer. Dean, on the other hand, did.

He'd been brought back, too, and was heaving in gasps of air while steadying himself against the kitchenette. "You okay?" He panted at her.

"Yeh," She got to her feet and leant back against the couch.

"God, I hate them zapping me around..." He sucked in some much needed air. "Makes me sick..."

Andie's stomach chose that moment to make a sickening sound. "Crap, me too..." She ducked her head down between her legs.

"Well, if it ain't the ghost of Christmas screw you." Dean suddenly said.

Looking up, Andie saw Zachariah had popped into the room. "Aw, Christ can't you just _go away_." Not her best retort; but heck she'd just travelled through time, she wasn't in the mood for repartee.

"Enough, you two!" Zachariah shouted. "Enough. You saw it, right? You saw what happens." He rounded on Dean. "You're the only person who can prove the devil wrong. Just say yes."

"How do we know that this whole thing isn't one of your tricks?" Dean pointed out. "Huh? Some angel hocus-pocus?"

"The time for tricks is over." Zachariah's usual attitude was gone; he actually seemed scared. "Give yourself to Michael. Say yes and we can strike. Before Lucifer gets to Sam. Before billions die."

Dean turned to Andie, who just shook her head in response. He smirked at Zachariah. "Nah."

"_'Nah'_?" Zachariah repeated. "You telling me you haven't learned your lesson?"

Dean just smirked. "Oh, I've learned a lesson, all right. Just not the one you wanted to teach."

"Well, I'll just have to teach it again! Because I got you now, boy, and I'm never letting you-"

That invisible hook grabbed Andie by her innards and pulled her so fast she lost her breath, and, when she felt her feet on solid ground, she lost her stomach. Thankfully she wasn't alone, Dean was throwing up right beside her.

"Damn, I hate when that happens." Dean wiped his mouth.

Breathing in the fresh, outdoor air, Andie became very confused. "How did we..." Her eyes fell on Ellie and Castiel who were standing side by side behind them. "Ellie!" Andie exclaimed brightly when she saw her Grandmother.

"Hello, love," Ellie hugged her and draped her arms across her shoulders. "I'm glad you're back."

"That's pretty nice timing, Cas." Dean grinned when he saw him.

"We had an appointment." Castiel answered seriously.

Dean slapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Don't ever change."

"How did Zachariah find you?" Castiel asked.

Dean decided against telling him the truth for now. "Long story. Let's just stay away from Jehovah's Witnesses from now on, okay?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Andie asked.

He punched in his brother's cell number. "Something I should have done in the first place." He replied.

**xxx**

Sam agreed to meet his brother the next day, so feeling that he made a step in the right direction for his future, Dean convinced Andie they should just stay in town for the night, relax after their 'trip'. Dean fell straight to sleep, but awoke with a bolt after about six straight hours. It was very early morning and Andie wasn't beside him. He could hear her in the kitchenette so he got up and went to find her. "Hey... why are you still up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Andie muttered as she fished some packets of sugar from the depths of her shoulder bag.

"What was it for you? Annie? Devil Sam? Human Castiel? Goth-Cassidy?"

"All of the above." Andie got out a second mug for Dean as he sat at in a bar stool. "I just... I feel like I didn't ask enough questions." She said a moment later. "Like what about Cass's electrifying thing? I mean, did she still have it? Or when Annie was born or where..." Sighing, she poured some boiling water into a mug for each of them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dean asked her a second later. "About your mum and stuff? Why didn't you tell me you felt like that?"

Andie shrugged. "I dunno... I just don't talk about her."

"Still... you don't talk about her." Dean pressed as he took the mug she offered him.

"I was nine when she slashed her wrists in the bathtub." Andie reminded him. "All I remember about her is that we fought... except the day she died. That was the best day we had together..." She scoffed a little. "I guess I should have known something was wrong..." She paused. "Look, I don't know if we're ever going to have a kid... but if we do? Every demon I've hunted…every demon I've killed…they're all gonna come after me for revenge. Then what about her? Whose gonna take care of Annie? I don't want her to grow up like I did. Alone…and scared."

Dean watched her carefully. Even after so many years, he could tell this still affected her. He assumed that's why her fear of abandoning Annie had been so prevalent when she'd found her out fate in the future. It was a gap that never went away. "You're not going to die, Andie." Dean assured her. "We'll make our own future. Together."

"I know." She smiled and patted his forearm as she walked passed him. "Coming back to bed?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Dean focused on his tea as she pressed a gentle kiss against his temple and then left him be.

Once she was gone; he reached into his pocket and pulled out the scrap of paper his future self had given him. It didn't say a lot; just two paragraphs that basically outlined what he already knew. Qeres was immune to angel powers, strong, poison to Nephilim... Dean ran his thumb over the scrap and thought a moment. He had to keep this from Andie; if she knew she'd go after it. He'd tell Sam; maybe he knew something. Bobby might be able to help; and maybe even Castiel or Ellie. But not Andie. He didn't care if she ripped his head off if she found out he'd kept it from her; at least she'd still be there to do so.

Dean would never say it out loud, he might not ever tell her, but that scariest thing about that future wasn't that his brother was the devil or that he was a father; it was that she wasn't there to share it with him.

**xxx**

The next day whilst Dean went to pick up Sam, Andie was stuck nervously waiting. There would be tension between them, for that she had no doubt, but Dean was determined to make a change to their future and healing his relationship with his brother was a start.

After two cans of Red Bull, Andie showered and started to go through her bag looking for her phone. She found a handful of missed calls from Cass, so she bit the bullet and hit 'redial'.

"Andie!" Cass cried out when she picked up. "Where have you been? I've been calling you for days!"

"Ah," Andie smirked. "Would you believe twenty-fourteen?"

"Fine, don't tell me." Cass hissed. "Look, I need your help with something; that chick with a rockin' body called me looking for you."

Andie furrowed her eyebrows. "Who?"

"Your former me." She replied bitterly. "Your Cass before Cass."

"Not...Van?" Andie couldn't believe she remembered the name after so many years. Dean and Sam chose that moment to arrive back; Sam gave her a nervous wave, but she just shushed him.

"Yes, Van, that's her." Cass replied jealously.

"Van, _Van_?" Andie repeated, still not believing it. "_Dono-_van?"

"Yes, her, look Luka and I are on our way to you and Dean right now – did you know Ellie answers my calls now? She told us where you are. Anyway, we'll be there tomorrow." With that she hung up.

"Who's Donovan?" Dean asked as Andie pocketed her phone.

Andie gave him a blank look. "Who?"

"Van?"

"No one," She grabbed her wallet. "I'm gonna go down to the laundry room, did you know they have a vending machine down there? I'm jonesing for something covered in chocolate, or chocolate that I can cover in someone," She hurriedly made her way out of the room. "Anyway, I'll be back soon. By the way, Cassidy's showing up tomorrow – apparently an old, old, old girl I used to hang with is in trouble, which means we have a new case, I didn't get all the details but Luka's coming with her. Wow; there's a lotta caffeine in Red Bull." With a slam of the door, she was gone.

Sam gave his brother a puzzled look. "Did you catch any of that?"

Dean shook his head. "I drifted off after chocolate."

**xxx**


	9. You Like Me Too Much

*Donovan "Van" Lancaster belongs to the ever so lovely Andi (Selah25), . I recommend you read her fic "Thirty Days or Less" on here!*

**Chapter 9:**

_You Like Me Too Much_

That night was odd. Good, but odd. Sam and Dean chose not to discuss any of their issues, which was more than fine with Andie, and instead all three took to drinking, a past time they hadn't indulged in quite a while. Perhaps it was because of the trip to the future, her fate or lack thereof, or maybe it was Sam being back... or maybe it was because Van was in trouble. Whatever it was; Andie took up the challenge to try and drink it away. It was tomorrow's problem; she'd deal with Van tomorrow.

Van was quite the genius when it came to demonology; she even had a degree in it and, last Andie knew, became a professor. They'd lost touch years ago, she just fell behind in Andie's life, became one of those people she'd connected with, but didn't keep in touch with. Cass had been like that, but Cass had staying power. It was more annoying than anything else, that no matter how many times Andie shut her out, she managed to claw her way back in. Andie eventually stopped trying to get rid of her, it made more sense to keep her around anyway. Never at all did she think she'd grow to love the crazy bitch like family.

As much as Andie did love Cass, she was the last person she wanted to see the morning after downing almost two six-packs of cheap beer. "Ugh..." She groaned as the door-knock thundered through her inebriated skull. As she got to her feet, she realized the massive weight across her middle was actually Dean passed out on her. He woke up when she shoved him off.

"What?" He grumbled into the bed sheets.

"Someone's at the door," Andie shuffled out of bed trying to ignore her migraine.

"Why did I let you trick me into a drinking contest?" Dean growled as he sat up, disturbing a pile of empty beer cans on the end of the bed.

"You're just pissed 'cos you lost," Andie replied as she peered through the keyhole. "Speaking of alcohol..."

"Morgan, this dump smells like cat piss." Cassidy greeted her as the door opened.

"It's good to see you, too." Andie yawned. "Where's the boyfriend?"

"Parking the car," She came in and tossed her bag on the table.

"Medusa." Dean greeted her with a tired wave.

"Derwood." Cass replied. Her eyes then fell on Sam who had fallen asleep in his clothes on the sofa. "And there's Boy Wonder, huh? All that power and he still can't hold his liquor."

"Hello?" Luka called from the front door, knocking twice as he nervously entered.

"You remember Luka." Cass grinned broadly.

Andie smiled at him. "Yes, the hottie who smells like rope."

"Good to see you again, Andie." He stuck his hand out to Dean as he approached him. "You must be Dean; I've heard a lot about you."

"Luka, hey," Dean shook his hand, getting a quick flash of the future as he did so... he and Luka friends, him changed by demon hunting, married to Cass... "Good to finally meet you. That's Sam," He pointed at his brother. "Heavy sleeper on the booze."

"I can hear you." Sam groaned.

"Good, you're up." Andie knocked his legs off the couch to retrieve her bag that he was lying on. "Take off your drunk wig and slap on your nerd toupee; you got research to do."

Dean got on the phone to Bobby while Sam begrudgingly got to work at his laptop with Luka close by reading out of textbooks. Cass and Andie took to the small balcony with a couple of old texts Cass had brought along. Andie was impressed at Luka's ability to merge into the admittedly dangerous world of hunting, a sentiment she passed along to Cass.

"I know, wait til you see him with a shotgun," Cass replied proudly. "It's funny, I was all gung-ho about getting back to Iowa, giving up all this for awhile... but hell; it suckered me back in." She frowned. "Is that totally sad?"

"Kinda." Andie said as she flicked through useless pages of the book in her lap. "So, Van?" She said a minute later.

"Yes." Cass repeated through tight lips. "Van."

Andie smirked. "Why the tone?"

"There was no tone." Cass snapped defensively. "Why aren't you two still friends? Did you scare her off with your big boobies and your weird bisexual vibe?"

"No." Andie narrowed her eyes. "She just... her life was going one way, mine was going another..." A moment passed. "Cass, you know you're my favourite."

"Shut up." Though Cass couldn't help but take the compliment. "Look, she came through town really flustered. Said she'd just come from Montana and had to go back, and that you were the only one who could help her."

Andie chewed the inside of her lip. "I haven't seen her in years, why would she think to call me?"

"You got me; desperate people do desperate things." She grinned. "She seemed sick or something, really on edge, rambling about the seven deadly sins."

"Seven Deadly Sins?" Andie repeated sceptically. "You're kidding."

"I wish. I would have laughed if she wasn't so freaked, but before I could say "Hey, Crazy!", she was out the door. So," She tossed her book aside. "What do you wanna do about it?"

Andie sighed and groaned simultaneously. "I guess we're going to Montana."

"What about Dean?"

"Dean!" Andie bellowed over her shoulder. "We're going to Montana!"

"Okay!" Dean called back.

"Done."

"Coolio."

"Hey, how's your electro-mania going?" Andie asked.

"I can't really control it yet, it kinda comes out on its own when I'm angry or... otherwise." She flushed slightly. "One time during sex I gave Luka second degree burns; I didn't even know I was shocking him!"

"Huh... it's like your own warped form of S&M."

Both of them laughed as Dean wandered onto the porch. "Bobby seems to think the threat is legit," He informed them as he hung up his cell. "Lots of omens floating around central Montana lately. And check out what Sam found..." He handed Andie a printout. "Record number of arrests for murders and theft."

"Greed and Wrath," Andie clucked her tongue as she listed the Sins.

"Also an increase in divorces," Dean handed Cassidy another printout. "So that's Lust covered."

"Is it centred anywhere in particular?"

"Actually; yeah. And they're already jumping on the Seven Deadly Sins bandwagon." He slapped a third printout down on the table between them. "_Great Falls Church Declares Apocalypse, Now_." He read the headline.

"Aw, religion and sins..." Cass smiled offhandedly. "They're really pushing the social boundaries aren't they?"

Sighing, Andie sat up in her chair. "I still don't get how Van might be involved in this..."

"Maybe she followed the omens and wound up there?" Cass offered. "From the looks of all this it's like the whole town is infected or something."

"Smells like another Horseman to me." Dean muttered.

Andie was thinking the same thing. "Great." She mumbled.

"Still up for Montana?" He asked with a half smile.

"Hells yeh."

**xxx**

By late morning, the Impala and Luka's army green jeep had crossed over the Montana state line and were making a beeline for Great Falls. They were slightly without a plan... no one knew what to expect. If the town was infected with the Seven Deadly Sins somehow, they were running a risk of getting infected themselves. But seeing as it wasn't ever member of the population being struck down, Andie was pretty confident there was some sort of leader, a trigger who set each Sin upon a victim. Finding said trigger was not going to be so easy, finding Van was the first step.

Andie rode with Dean and Sam with Cass and Luka close behind. It was late afternoon when they arrived in Great Falls, and the trio in the Impala had already decided where they were headed. Andie was going to do some grunt work on the ground with Cass and look for Van, Dean and Sam were going to chase up the church mentioned in the article and see if there was any weight to their claims.

"Alright, we'll get us rooms, you check out the church," Andie said as she climbed out of the Impala in front of Cyprus Falls Motel. "Meet us back here in a couple of hours?"

"Yes, ma'am." Dean pretended to tip his hat to her before driving off with his brother beside him.

_Almost just like old times_... she thought as she watched them leave.

"Morgan, snap out of it," Cass tugged on her friends arm. "Put your game-face on, will you? These people are hopped up on sin, we gotta be careful."

"You're very offensive today." Andie noted.

Cass blushed. "You flatter me." She waved at Luka who was reversing his jeep. "He's going to stock up on supplies."

"By supplies, you mean food?"

"Yes." Cass held the door to the motel for her friend. "The man knows what I like." She had to force herself not to stare at the strange woman sitting by the door in a hot pink windbreaker and yellow rain boots, tearing up a newspaper into small, even strips.

There was an old man sitting behind the front desk in a blue checked shirt and tan suspenders. He was balding with tinted glasses abridge his nose, and he was flicking through a newspaper screaming the same headline about the Seven Deadly Sins. "Room for two?" He asked as he saw the women approach.

"No, no, we're not together." Cass laughed. "I mean, there was a time when I considered being a lesbian but it just seemed like a lot of extra work-"

"Two rooms." Andie cut in. "We got two people in one, three in the other."

"Sure, sure, just I need some ID." The old man pulled out a scheduling book. "We're pretty much empty lately." He muttered. "And all this crazy Sins nonsense is really kicking me outta business."

"Oh... sad." Cass muttered. "What's your name, Sir, I'll whack it in a prayer tonight."

Andie rolled her eyes, Cass never prayed.

The man just laughed. "No thanks, darlin'." He chuckled. "Since I lost my wife I guess I'm more atheist than anything else. But my name's Eddie."

"Bingo! I win!" Hot Pink Windbreaker suddenly cried out, tossing her torn up shreds of paper into the air.

"That's Rita; she's harmless." Eddie assured them as he wrote down their names off of the licences they'd handed over. "So, what brings you to town? Most people are headed out, these days."

"I'm looking for someone actually, Donovan Lancaster?" Andie asked. "Brown hair, a little taller than me, body of a Korean gymnast..."

"The Professor?"

Andie widened her eyes. "Professor? Wait, does she _work_ here?"

"Past month or so; doing some interstate teaching at the college, staying on campus." Eddie explained. "My daughter's a Professor there, too. Said Lancaster was very good for the students... but I haven't seen her since the East Wing of the school burned down. Not sure where she is now; but my Trisha would know. I could give you her phone number?"

"Thanks," Andie smiled. "You said burned down?"

"Arson." Eddie shook his head in disgust. "Rotten kids. They were all proud of themselves..." He sighed. "I'll get you that number."

"_Pride_?" Cass hissed in Andie's ear.

"Well, at least we're in the right place." Andie pointed out.

"So? We're still five hunters without a plan!"

"Would you dial down the insanity, please? We're in public."

"You think I care what these freaks think?" Cass yelled so loud Hot Pink Windbreaker at the door heard her and swivelled in her seat. "Not you, honey, you are perfection." She winked.

**xxx**

Eddie's daughter, Trisha Yearwood, did have Van's whereabouts. She was living in off-campus student housing at the White Rocks village. The place was pretty much deserted by the time Cass and Andie made their way there, but then again the whole town looked like the population all just decided to pack up and move on one day.

Andie spied the '76 emerald green camaro with white racing stripes down the side. "She's here." Andie jabbed her thumb at the vehicle. "That's her car."

Cass let Andie drag her across the road as they approached room 212 in front of the vintage car. "This is the chick who slashed Jeremy's tyres, isn't it?" She recalled.

"Yep, that's her." Andie paused. "God, I miss that bike. Cars just suck in comparison."

"Let's get this over with, can we?" Cass knocked sharply on the motel door. There was no answer. She tried again and waited. Same result. She sighed and glanced at Andie. "You ready?"

"Yep."

Cassidy let out a loud, fake couch to muffle the sound of Andie using her power to smash open the door. "Van?" She ventured as she crept into the room.

Almost immediately, she and Cass stopped dead when they saw Van, rushing back and forth across her room, her normally tame hair a frantic, knotted mess, and she was wringing her fingers together.

"Evil... everywhere..." She muttered as she paced. "I can't stop it; it can't be stopped. Tried... failed... can't be stopped."

"Great, she's nuts too!" Cass exclaimed in exasperation.

"Dammit." Andie clapped her hands together. "Van!" She shouted. "Look alive!" The frantic brunette turned to her. "Remember me?"

"Two little ducks come out to play..." She answered. "Play away... go away... Andie says go away..."

"Yeh, that's it... I'm Andie." She wasn't good with slightly crazy people. "God, what Sin infected her...?"

"By the looks of this?" Cass picked up a stack of trashy magazines with thin models faces circled and less attractive women crossed out. "Envy."

"Envy?" Andie repeated. "Envy-down-a-shame-spiral...?" She turned so Van wouldn't hear her. "It wouldn't make her nuts like this."

"We're talking demons here, Morgan," Cass reminded her. "Nothing they won't do for a bit of torture. Hell, she seems like she's got some Wrath in her as well... maybe the ringleader of this whole shemozzle is mixing cuisines? Letting everyone double dip in the Sin pool?"

"Bad analogies aside, I think you have a point... can you watch her for a second?" She pushed passed Cass. "I'll call Ellie and see if she can help."

Cass yanked her back by her elbow. "No, you can't leave me here alone with her."

With an exasperated grunt, Andie snatched back her arm, "She seems harmless enough. If she comes to close, shock her away." Andie flicked out her fingertips; miming an electro-shocking gesture.

Drifting off into a daydream, Cass relented. "Oh, I like that."

Though prepared to stand out in the cold for the hours it sometimes took for her grandmother to show up, Andie was surprised when after only a few moments she came to her. "Grams!" Andie screamed as she walked around the parking lot. "Come on, don't make me wait!"

"What is it, Andie, I have a million things going on right now." Ellie strode towards her, as if she'd popped up mid-walk.

Andie sure had no trouble with getting straight to the point. "I need you to help Van."

Ellie furrowed her brown. "_A van_?"

"No, _Van._" Andie corrected her. "Girl I used to know, she's drugged-_way_-out on some Deadly Sins, I need you to zap her clean so we can figure out how to stop the son of a bitch that started all of this."

Ellie sighed. "A grandmother's works is never done..." She allowed Andie to usher her into the motel room where they saw Van playing with Cassidy's hair.

"Crazy or not, the girl can French braid." Cass explained as they came in.

"Oh," Ellie clutched her chest, taking in the sense of the room. "This girl is plagued, that's for sure." She walked towards her and knelt down. "Awful business... unfortunately she'll remember everything." Ellie pressed her middle and forefinger against Van's forehead. "How are you, dear?"

"Wha...?" Van blinked her eyes repeatedly, staring from Ellie, to Andie and down to Cassidy, whose hair was still tangled up in her fingers. "Crap; this isn't a dream is it?"

"Sadly, no." Andie sighed with relief. "Thanks, Ellie- Grams."

"You're welcome, love. Find whoever is doing this...this whole town is in jeopardy... and the angels won't help. They're not even watching this area." She looked gravely to each of the young women. "Be strong, girls." And with a blink, she was gone.

Van sprang to her feet. "Whoa! What was _that_?"

"She's an angel. And my grandmother." Andie cleared a space on the couch and sat down. "You always wondered where my telekinesis came from, right?"

Confused, but going with the flow, Van sat herself back down. "Huh... so I guess my theory of it stemming from your PMS rage wasn't exactly on the money?"

Cass slapped Van excitedly on the thigh. "Oh my _God_, that's exactly what I said!"

Van gave her an odd look. "Who are you?"

"Cassidy."

The name rang a bell in Van's memory. "Ah, yeh, I remember... Andie called you 'the bitch that won't leave me alone'."

Cass beamed. "I love when my reputation precedes me."

"I'll give you the heads up," Andie said, gesturing to Cass. "She's running with some electrokinesis ever since I brought her back from the dead. Don't piss her off - or have sex with her - and you'll remain unshocked."

Van didn't question a word of this bizarre statement. "Noted." She smirked. "So, you're here. I guess that means you got my message?"

"I passed it along." Cass spoke up. "Do you not remember bursting into my room screeching for Andie Morgan?"

"Vaguely... I didn't intend to be here this long... but I got the offer to teach her for a bit and thought it was a good opportunity." Van let out an exasperated sigh. "Only after I got here did all this Deadly Sins stuff start happening; and by the time I'd researched it I was in the thick of it."

"Did you make any headway?"

"Ah, yeah..." Van strode to her satchel bag and yanked out a couple of pages of notepad paper. "It all traces back to one place. All the people who started getting infected were members of the church. Then it was their families who got infected, and then their friends. Anyone with a bond to someone who was contaminated with a Sin became infected themselves. And in some cases, two or three sins." She handed her notes to Cassidy. "I got it from two students I tutored... both are now serving time for setting the college on fire." She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "This town is going to pot."

As Andie read, she felt a familiar niggling in her stomach, she grew very nervous. "The Great Falls church?"

"Yeah." Van cast a troubled look between the two women. "Why? What's wrong?"

Andie cursed her own stupidity. "I sent Sam and Dean there."

**xxx**


	10. Act Naturally

*Donovan "Van" Lancaster belongs to the ever so lovely Andi (Selah25), . I recommend you read her fic "Thirty Days or Less" on here!*

**Chapter 10**

_Act Naturally_

The girls took Van's car, her behind the wheel, and set off for the church. Van knew the town better than either Cass or Andie, so they happily let her take them in the right direction. Andie was the shotgun, repeatedly hitting redial to try and get a hold of Dean. It would just ring and ring and ring. Finally someone picked up. "Dean? Dean, it's me, get out of the church!" Andie yelled quickly.

"What?" Dean's voice crackled through the receiver through static and interference. "Andie, I can't hear—line – ..connection is —ference – get out?"

Andie jammed one finger in her ear to try and hear better. "What?"

"Ca- church is full...—away from here!" And then the line went dead.

Andie cursed and hit redial. "This day just keeps getting better." She mumbled sarcastically as she held the phone to her ear; cursing again when the call went straight to Dean's voicemail.

"He say anything?" Van asked, keeping her piercing eyes on the road.

Andie shook her head. "As much as I can gather he wants us to stay away from the church."

"Which means we floor it?" Van smirked as she shifted gears.

"Absolutely."

"Luka's holed up at the motel," Cass snapped her phone shut and slung her elbows over an arm of each car seat. "I told him to stay put... don't need my man all hopped up on sin."

"Why can't the angels just sweep this place clean like they did with me?" Van inquired as she steered her car around the smoking wreck of an SUV. "This town is a shithole right now."

"They can; they just won't." Andie replied, casting her eyes out to what used to be a nice suburban street. Now the houses were looted, trees burnt to ash and the neighbourhood completely devoid of people. "Thing about angels is they aren't so angelic these days."

"Most of them have resigned themselves to the fact the apocalypse is coming, so they don't want to get involved. And that's how you wind up with a town full of Sin."

"Not that I'm agreeing," Van said as she veered off the main road. "But surely if we stop this, it's just going to happen somewhere else."

"Yeah, well... we kinda have a plan for that." Andie muttered, images of Sam and Dean saying yes to their respective vessels and the prospect of losing both of them flashing in her mind.

Van knew her well enough to understand that tone. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"The less people that know, the better." Cass spoke up. "Believe me."

Van was about to retort when a foul, smouldering smell stung her nostrils. "You guys smell that?"

Andie drew in a deep breath out the window and coughed as she inhaled a mouthful of smoke. "Fire." She spluttered.

"Aw, man," Van whined and screeched her car to a stop in front of the church. "Fire is the last thing we need more of around here."

The church was ablaze. There were about five fire engines parked out the front with a couple of dozen fire-fighters battling the flames. Three hoses were aimed at the church at different angles but they didn't seem to be helping; smoke was billowing up into the sky making the afternoon look like midnight.

Andie, Cass and Van approached the fire at a safe distance, covering their mouths with their sleeves. Andie spied the vacant Impala parked behind a couple of fire engines and looked around for Dean and Sam; they were nowhere to be seen. "Alright, they have to be inside..." Andie muttered to Cass and Van. "How can we get in?"

"There's a wheelchair entrance around the back..." Van told her, eying the handful of fire-fighters emerging from one of the trucks right in front of the back door. "We'll have to create a diversion."

"Oooh; me!" Cass elected herself. "Just tell me where to point and I'll shock something..." She pointed her fingers out in front of her.

Andie nodded. "Ok, you do that, I'll go in and you to follow, good?"

"Good." Van nodded firmly. "Come on," She snatched Cass by the arm and pulled her aside.

"What's your plan, Van Wilder?" Cass asked.

"You're crazy, right?"

"Extremely."

"Good." Van muttered instructions into her ear, before letting her go and approaching one of the firemen. "What happened?"

"What's it look like? Fire. You're gonna have to clear out." The handsome, yet angry, man replied.

"Did everyone get out okay?" Van asked, avoiding him as he tried to direct her away.

"Miss, please, you have to get back."

"Oh my God! Fire!" Cassidy came out of nowhere and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Miss, calm down!" The fireman let go of Van and blocked Cass's path. "Everything's going to be okay."

"You are so hot..." Cass replied dreamily.

The fireman gave her a strange look. "Where are you two from, exactly?"

Cass looked blank. "Ah... Margaritaville?"

"Indonesia." Van interrupted. "She was in the Peace Corps. She suffered a head injury a few months ago."

"Bingo, I win!" Cass yelled and flung her hands up into the air, channelling the craziness of Hot Pink Windbreaker from the motel.

"Come on, Sharon, let's get you back to your cell." Van pushed her by her shoulders towards the Impala.

Once out of the prying eyes of the fireman, Van scanned the back exit and spotted Andie hiding behind a water pipe. There was no way she could make a run for the door without being seen. It was distraction time. Van nudged Cassidy, who extended the fingers of her right hand towards a light post behind where Andie was hiding, she sent a current of electricity surging through the wire, exploding the light to smithereens and starting yet another fire at the base of the pole.

Van and Cass kept themselves hidden as the firemen in Andie's way ran to stoush the flames, giving her enough time to run inside the church. Cass linked arms with Van and they sprinted towards the entrance to the church. It was thick was smoke and very difficult to see. Van took the lead, feeling her way along the wall until the heat simmered down and she could actually see her own boots.

"Andie?" Cass called out, rubbing her stinging eyes. "Andie?"

"She had to go have gone this way," Van pointed to the hall up ahead. "Everything else is up in flames."

Together, they ran and came to an arch leading into an empty hall. Van had been inside this church a few times, and never had she seen this. She could hear the firemen outside and the roar of the flames, but this room was untouched. Candles lined the walls, but funnily enough were unlit.

"This is creepy..." Van muttered, casting a look back at Cass - but she wasn't there. "Cass?" Van swivelled on the spot, a bad feeling creeping up her spine. "Ca..." Her voice trailed off. She was alone. Cass was nowhere to be seen. The ground was cobblestones; Van would have heard her run off. But then before she could move, a fabric hood dropped over her head and muffled her scream as she was dragged away.

Andie was lost. How she managed to get lost in a place like this she didn't know. From the outside, it looked like it was just one, maybe two, rooms, but inside was like a maze. No two doors led to the same place, there were staircases up and down, and hallways with dead ends. At some point she realized she must be underground because the air was cooler, and she couldn't smell the fire. She couldn't find Cass or Van, either, but they were likely to be as lost as she was.

A scuffling noise caught her ear, sending Andie through a couple more doors to a room further upstairs, shrouded in smoke. In the centre of the room on his feet, flipping madly through a thick textbook, was Dean.

"Oh, there you are." Andie gasped in relief when she saw him. "God, this place is like a rubix cube."

"Andie; what are you doing here," He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door. "I told you to stay away!"

"It was garbled on the phone!" Andie yelled. "Anyway, we can fight later, we gotta get outta here, this place'll be gone in a few minutes." She became aware that the two of them were the only ones in the room. "Where's Sam?"

"I dunno."

"What? What do you mean? Where is he?" For the first time, Andie scanned the room. There was writing all over every wall in red paint with symbols and words Andie didn't understand. "What happened in here?

"We got separated and now I can't find him... look," He pointed to a sigil drawn on the wall. "War."

"_Horseman_, War?" Andie repeated. "But we killed him, and stole his bling."

"Yeah, I know, he must have been here before he we killed him. Things have been going downhill here for a couple of months." He jabbed his fingers at the book he was flicking through. "Someone in this town knew what was going on; angels."

Andie scanned her eyes over the page, drawings of archangels, symbols and writing in a language she didn't understand. But before she could even flip a page, a creaking noise from above made her look up; a smouldering beam in the rafters was splintering and, as she watched, cracked in half and sailed down right above them. With a swift wave of her hand, Andie sent the debris across the room, but as she did so she heard more creaking, more beams were splitting from the heat and fire.

"Move, move, move!" Dean roughly shoved Andie through the doorway and they ran.

Andie ducked and weaved through the hallways, banging through a door that somehow led them downstairs to a basement. "Jesus." She wheezed as she leant back against the cool, stone wall. "Where are we now?"

"I dunno, some sorta bunker..." Dean wondered out loud as he inspected the walls of the room. The most notable change was the temperature. It was cold in here. Normal, basement cold; completely opposite to the fire blazing above them.

"A church with a bunker?" Andie questioned.

"Yeah, I know, it's weird." Dean felt around in his pockets for some matches.

"So we've lost Sam, Van and Cass," Andie slid down to the floor on her backside. "Good for us."

"Van and Cass?" Dean repeated as he tried to light a match.

"Yeh, I told them to follow me in here." Andie smacked her forehead. "Stupid. I told them to run _into_ a burning building."

Dean got a match lit and started looking around the bunker. "Wow..." He spied wooden boxes in the corner labelled RICE and cans of artificial meat as well as big, sealed bottles of water. "Looks like someone's preparing for the end of the world."

Andie rose to her feet and came to inspect it. "Well, this is peculiar..." She muttered as she noticed what looked like a large fire extinguisher case secured to the wall; inside she found a handgun, a torch and an extra round of bullets. She handed the gun to Dean and kept the torch for herself.

"Plan?" He asked as he pocketed the extra round.

"Lie on the ground in the foetal position and think about pancakes."

"Plan B?"

"Kick some ass."

**xxx**

When the hood was pulled off of Van's head, she was met with a cupful of water dousing her face. Coughing and spluttering, Van cursed whoever had thrown it on her. She shook her head a little and managed to see the face of a handsome young man staring down at her. "This one's clean, too." He said as he knelt before her.

"You think I'm a demon?" Van recognized the holy water, and discovered her hands were bound with iron chains.

"We run into more than you would think." The young man told her, releasing her shackles. "I'm James. Don't worry, we won't hurt you."

"Van!" Cass's relieved voice called to her. "They wouldn't believe me when I told them you were human." She fell to her knees in front of Van. "They snatched us out of that room like Ninjas."

"Where are we?" Van asked as she rubbed her freed wrists.

"You're safe." James said, getting to his feet and adjusting his grip on the shotgun in his hands.

"It's like an underground city down here," Cass informed her. "Everyone who wasn't infected; they hide under here."

"It's Armageddon." James said with a shrug. "No way are we going to stay up there in the thick of it."

"How many of you are down here?" Cass asked as she helped Van to her feet.

"Started out a couple of hundred, but people got curious and wandered above ground." He handed them a torch. "We never saw them again. That's why we stay below."

"Waiting for...?" Van prompted him. "You really think just burning down the church is going to stop demons come searching for you?"

"It's better than doing nothing." James replied.

"This is all very interesting," Cass said hurriedly. "But we've got friends up there so we need to get out-"

"You're not going anywhere." James cut in. "We risked our lives taking you because we thought you were demons. Now that you're here; you can't leave."

Cass was fed up. "Ok, look, my friend Andie? She has a habit of attracting demons and she's not going to sleep until she finds me. And my boyfriend Luka? He could kick your ass eight ways from Sunday so I suggest you let us out of here or else!"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"I've known her less than a day," Van spoke up. "And I can comfortably say no, she doesn't."

"I hate you both." Cass grumbled.

"Cass?"

"Sam?" She yelped as her torch fell on her friend, he was coming up the darkened hall.

"Are you ok?" He arrived in front of her carrying his own torch and a pistol.

"Yeah, they nabbed you, too?" Cass guessed.

"Yeah, Dean and I were looking around and then they grabbed me..." His eyes glanced towards Van.

"This is Van, Andie's friend." Cass slapped his shoulder. "Unclench, Samuel, she's cool."

"Sam Winchester." Van smiled and gave him a polite nod.

"Hi..." Sam replied cautiously.

"Alright, if we're done here, can you three keep moving?" James spoke up.

"Move where, exactly?" Sam asked. "You still haven't told me what the hell is going on down here."

"It's a safety zone." James replied as he led the way through the maze of tunnels. "The only place we're protected is down here."

"Protected by who?" Sam inquired.

"Selaphiel." James replied casually.

Van stopped in her tracks. "Selaphiel?" She repeated, recognizing the name from her years of studying.

"What?" Cass glanced sideways at her. "Who is that?"

Van gave her a worried look. "He's an archangel."

**xxx**


	11. Think For Yourself

*Donovan "Van" Lancaster belongs to the ever so lovely Andi (Selah25). I recommend you read her fic "Thirty Days or Less" on here!*

**Chapter 11**

_Think For Yourself_

Dean and Andie continued walking deeper and deeper into the church, until they became quite certain they weren't in the church any longer. They had to be under the city. But it was almost like an underground city, with supplies stocked all over the place, garbage strewn haphazardly across the ground and flickering lights around every second corner.

"This place stinks," Dean muttered, scrunching up his nose in disgust, as they walked along.

"It smells like your car," Andie pointed out. "And you go in there."

"That's different," He said with a proud glint in his eye. "I love that girl... and when you love something that much you don't care what it smells like.

Andie turned her nose up at him. "That's true."

After a few more steps, Dean halted. "You hear that?" He stopped Andie in her tracks when something caught his ear.

"What?" Andie couldn't hear anything.

"People talking..." Dean crept forwards a little.

Andie held her position, hearing faint creaking footsteps behind her. They weren't alone. An arm suddenly shot out of the darkness and grasped her wrist. "No!" Andie cried and elbowed her attacker in the rib, then sent an uppercut into their chin so heavy it knocked them to the ground. "Oh, God." Andie's hands covered her mouth when she saw her attacker was actually an elderly woman, sprawled on the ground and knocked out cold. "I beat up an old woman."

Dean peered over her shoulder. "Why would you beat up an old broad?"

"I didn't _know_ she was old; _she_ grabbed _me_," Andie straightened her crooked shirt. "Bitch was asking for it."

"For shame, Morgan," Dean tutted her.

Andie flicked her torch back down the hall where the woman had sprung from. "Hidden room." She said aloud; her torch finding a crack in what appeared to be more wall panelling.

"Told you I heard voices." Dean commented as he followed her eyes.

"You hear voices all the time." Andie grumbled.

Dean gave her a look. "What's with the 'tude?"

"I dunno..." Andie narrowed her eyes at him and scanned his profile with her torch. "I suddenly find you much more irritating than usual."

"Crap, what if you're getting Wrath?"

"What if _you're_ getting Wrath?" She screeched back. "Oh, God," She realized. "I am getting Wrath." She scowled. "Son of a bitch!"

"Alright, come on," Dean led her further down the passage. "We gotta find a way out of here."

**xxx**

James rounded in on Van, eyes penetrating and concerned. Her mention of the name Selaphiel and knowledge of his abilities was worrying. No one but those who dwelled below the city knew of Selaphiel. "How do you know that?" He demanded.

"Because I'm a genius." Van quipped. "He's known from the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Big on the prayer."

James kept his eyes on her, sceptical, but he didn't push her further. "We should keep moving."

Cass pulled Van back into step beside her, just out of earshot of James. "Should we be worried? In my experience, angels on earth does not a happy family make."

"Well, if he keeps the sin away... I guess he's okay." Van muttered in a low voice.

"Your apparent lack of confidence soothes me." Cass deadpanned.

"You said my name." Sam lagged back and walked with them. "Before."

"Yeh, so?" Van raised her eyebrows. "You've come up in my research, I guess you could say."

Sam smiled, tense and awkward at the same time. He wasn't sure what to make of Van just yet; and he had a feeling that was how she was playing things. "Cass said Ellie cleared you of the sin?"

Van nodded. "Yep, I'm all good. Those angels sure do pack a punch... guess it makes sense that's where Andie gets it from."

"It's funny; she's never mentioned you before."

"Why would she?" Van replied with a loose shrug of her shoulders. "She's Andie. Never gives anything away - unless she's sucking down tequila."

"We're here." James suddenly spoke up ahead. He was standing in front of a heavy iron door. "Welcome."

The room they entered was much like all the other rooms they had passed, only much bigger and this one actually had some light. There was a small group of people gathered around an old television set in a corner, all sitting on moth-eaten sofa's and lawn chairs. They gawked at the three intruders as they walked passed, following James into the adjoining room; a kitchen, where two women were fixing some food. They gave James a polite nod, but didn't acknowledge Sam, Van or Cassidy.

"Where are you taking us?" Cass spoke up. "We need to find Andie and Dean and get the hell out of here."

"You can come with me to the control room," James offered. "We have cameras stationed around; we can see if your friends pop up."

"And what about us?" Sam asked.

"That one knows so much about Selaphiel," He jeered his head towards Van. "She can go see him." He pulled open a heavy metal door jutting out from the wall. "You might want to tag along."

Sam and Van exchanged a look, but neither hesitated in walking into the room. Van's heart picked up its speed as she heard the scrape of metal on concrete as James shut the door behind her and Sam. The room they entered was well lit with lanterns draped along the wall; it was quite sparsely decorated with only the bare minimum of furniture. At a heavy mahogany desk against the back wall sat a man who faced away from them. He wore long, red robes and had very short, golden blonde hair. He turned and rose to his feet when Sam and Van arrived in the room.

Van knew he was Selaphiel, and not just because he carried himself like an angel; stoic, emotionless and commanding respect. He had a rune engraved into his forehead; a rune Van knew was associated with Selaphiel.

"You're him, aren't you?" Sam asked the obvious. "Selaphiel?"

"Yes." The angel replied in a low, but firm voice. "Sam Winchester... oh, yes, I know about you... _vessel_." He smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Van asked, aware that her hands were tightening into nervous fists at her sides. "I mean... you're an angel."

"The apocalypse has begun." Selaphiel stated. "The angels have disbanded... my brothers and I no longer follow the same path. My path brought me here, to these people, to keep them safe."

Suddenly, Van didn't feel afraid of him anymore. His face was serene, beautiful pale blue eyes that gave him an innocence that contrasted with his firm jaw and muscled physique just visible beneath his robes. He made her feel calm; content.

"What you're feeling," Selaphiel suddenly said to her. "Is how everyone feels down here. My presence enriches their lives. And that is why I choose to stay."

"Can you find my brother and sister-in-law?" Sam asked.

"They'll arrive soon." Selaphiel assured him, turning back to his desk and returning to his seat. "And then you must all leave."

"We can't leave," Van said. "This town will be destroyed in a week, _maybe_ two. We have to find a way to cleanse things up there."

"If there were a way to save them..." Selaphiel tilted his head upwards. "But there is not. The ones who remain here are all that is left. And I will do whatever I must to keep them safe."

**xxx**

Dean paused by a marking scratched into the wall, it was the third he had seen down this hallway and it was starting to look like a pattern; a trail leading to somewhere... or from somewhere. "Andie, I think we're headed the right way-" He was cut off when he turned by a furious kiss from her.

"God, I love you," She moaned and pushed him back against the wall, her hands roaming his body.

Dean groaned in frustration. Somewhere along their walk she'd contracted Lust and began feeling him up. Normally he wouldn't mind her overly friendly behaviour, but seeing as they were stuck in the bowels of a flaming church looking for his brother and her friends; it was getting annoying to have to untangle her from him every five minutes, especially when his body responded to her. Lust was getting to him, too.

"Alright, you gotta stop," Dean kissed her back, but pulled her arms off of him. "We have to find our friends, remember them?"

Andie smirked and fiddled with his belt. "I don't care," She muttered into his neck as she traced kisses down his skin.

"Yes, you do, Morgan, come on." Dean felt a provoking heat shudder through his rigid body as he pushed away from her and continued down the hall. He was breathing heavily now, if she wanted to get him hot and bothered; she'd succeeded. His heart sunk when he felt what he thought was a dead end; but his fingers discovered a handle hidden in the darkness. "Andie?"

"Oh!"

Her gasp alerted him; he turned to see her buckle over and grab her stomach, her face contorted in obvious pain. "Andie?" He raced to her side, gripping her shoulders. "What is it?"

Panting, Andie locked eyes with him and smiled. "It's gone..." She patted the side of his face. "The sin. I can feel it... it's gone."

"Damn, you angels." Dean smirked and caressed the side of her cheek. "Always getting clean slated."

"Perks." Andie smiled again and straightened up. "Let's keep moving."

They continued through the door and found lanterns adorning the wall, a sign to Dean that the markings he'd noticed on the wall were indeed leading them somewhere; hopefully in the right direction. He spotted another mark scratched into a water pipe, and above that something else caught his eye. "Camera." He said, glancing at the apparently working lens directed down at them. "Someone's down here."

A clattering of metal on metal caught both of them off guard and they backed into the wall. In the dim light, Andie saw a crack of a door opening from up ahead and a short figure began to walk through. Without thinking, she thrust her hand out in front of her and knocked the person to the ground.

"Bitch!" A familiar voice cursed her.

"Cass." Andie said with relief when she saw her friend. "Are you okay?"

"No," Cass spat bitterly as she climbed to her feet. "But that's because of you. Otherwise, I'm fine. So are Sam and Van. Things are sin-less down here the deeper you get."

"Yeh; we noticed," Dean muttered and shot a look at Andie, who smirked in return. "What's going on down here?"

"You're not gonna like it." Cass warned them and pointed to the open door she'd entered from. "Come on."

Cass was right, they didn't like it. They didn't need more angels in their life, even apparently calm ones like Selaphiel. They'd had enough run-ins with dodgy angels (Uriel, Zachariah), to make them suspicious of all of them. It didn't help that the moment Andie and Dean arrived, Selaphiel requested their presence.

Dean insisted on accompanying Andie into Selaphiel's "office", and found he was slightly in awe of this angel. He wasn't sure why; but he just exuded a warmth Dean wasn't familiar with. But he wasn't nervous like he had been when he met Castiel, and even Ellie.

"Wow, you're... angelic..." Andie said as Selaphiel approached her.

"As are you." He replied. "I heard the whispers about you," He bowed his head slightly. "It is an honour. But I must insist that you leave."

"No." Andie replied immediately. "The people in this town need our help; and we're not leaving until they get it."

"As I told your friend," Selaphiel began circling her. "If there were a way to save them; we would do it. But we are forced to live down here..."

An idea was forming in Andie's head. "My grandmother... Ellie... she cleared Van of the sins that infected her." Selaphiel stopped pacing. "Angels can clear it out, right?"

"Yes," Selaphiel nodded. "My presence is what keeps those who live down here free from sin."

"Ellie said the angels won't cleanse this town."

"I've heard..." Selaphiel said in a low voice, obviously troubled at this. "My brothers and sisters are of one mind at times."

"But you..." Andie ventured. "_You _could cleanse the town."

Selaphiel looked to her, understanding her statement and its intentions. He could sacrifice himself; let his grace spread throughout this town; and eject every sin from every soul. He could save them all; and the only sacrifice would be his own. "You offer a wise suggestion." He gave Andie the faintest of smiles and placed his hands on either side of her face. He paused, his eyes narrowing, and then rounding again. "I wish you nothing but strength for the months to come. They will be your fiercest to endure," He clamped a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Be well."

And with two sharp gasps, Dean and Andie were engulfed in white light and expunged from the office.

They found themselves outside the church, the fire having been finally doused and the fire engines gone. Cass, Sam and Van stood beside them, looking as bewildered as they did. The door to the church cracked open, collapsing into smouldering shards, and a group of people began filing out led by James. They were all smiling.

Andie looked around the town; it was normal again. Aside from the church; nothing was out of place. The sun was shining, the grass was green, birds were singing and the air was fresh.

"What the hell was that?" Cass asked; holding a hand to her stomach. "Ugh, I feel like I could throw up."

"You'll get used to it," Andie muttered, ignoring the same nauseous feeling she got every time an angel transported her. "He did it."

"Selaphiel?" Van guessed, looking a faint shade of green herself. "He did this?"

"He gave up his life to save theirs." Andie said; admiring the courage and strength it would take to do such a thing. Angel or not; Selaphiel was a hero. She doubted she could ever do something so noble, even with her angelic blood. She just didn't think she had it in her.

**xxx**

That night found Dean in a situation he'd been missing; anyone who passed their motel would think they were having some sort of party. Van had stuck around, Luka and Cass were there and even Andie had a smile on her face. Dean surveyed the scene, swigging from a cold beer, and watching how content everybody was. Perhaps Selaphiel's influence was still coursing through their veins; allowing them this moment of enjoyment. Or perhaps they were just drunk. Dean figured it was a little of both.

Andie sat on the couch between Van and Sam, laughing with Cass who was cuddled back against Luka's chest sitting on the floor while he reached his arms around her and interlaced their fingers. Andie and Van were recounting some of their old war stories, some of which Cass had heard, and all of which were entertaining.

"Have you told them the 2-I story?" Cass prodded her with her foot.

Van started laughing. "Oh, God that one's great."

Andie giggled, too. "Ok, so Van and I are just _wrecked _on Southern Comfort, right?" She started. "And somehow we got invited to this underground poker ring. So we got to the hotel and the bellman has his back to us and we're screaming "Where's room 2-I, we need to find 2-I, where's 2-I?'" She had to muffle a laugh. "The guy turns around..." She paused for a beat. "And he only has one eye."

"No way," Luka said through a laugh as Sam almost snorted beer through his nose.

"He also had six fingers," Van added. "Five on one hand, half a dozen on the other."

The laugher was infectious, and Dean soon traded places with his brother and joined in the conversation, an arm loosely draped around Andie's shoulder. She didn't attest to his show of affection, and even laid her hand on his knee, keeping his leg close to hers.

They all talked well into the night. Cass and Luka were the first to head to bed just after two in the morning, whereas Sam and Andie chose that time to start up a round of Bull Shit, Andie's favourite card game.

Dean found himself standing by Van, and took the opportunity to ask her a question that had been swimming in his head since Andie mentioned her old friend's vast knowledge of the supernatural. "So... Van..." he said, turning his back to Andie and Sam's rambunctious game. "I need to ask you something."

"Shoot." She was gathering up their empty beer bottles.

"I need to know any information you have on a demon called Qeres."

The name rang a bell to Van, but she couldn't place it. "Qeres..." She repeated. "Why?"

Dean smirked and looked to his feet. "Look... I'm gonna have to ask you to keep this quiet," He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Andie couldn't hear him. "I don't want anyone finding out."

"By anyone you mean Andie." Van assumed correctly.

"Do you know anything or not?"

"The name sounds familiar..." Van mused. "But I didn't think it was a demon. It was an Egyptian perfume used during mummification..." The more she spoke about it, the more she remembered. "Lethal to angels... poison to Nephilim." Her eyes darted from Andie to Dean. "It's about her, isn't it?" Her voice became frantic. "Something's after Andie."

"Yeh, yeh," Dean tried to hush her. "But she doesn't know. And I don't want her to know. If she finds out-"

"She'll go galloping after it." Van interrupted in realization. "I see your point." She sighed. "Man... Qeres was bad mojo... took away everything that made them what they were... no afterlife for them, either." She pulled on Dean's wrists. "The substance was rare back then; I doubt any of it is still around. But if a demon could recreate Qeres?" She slowly shook her head. "Bad news for all angels, not just Andie."

"I've gotta stop it." Dean said almost pleadingly.

"I'm not sure you can." Van said disjointedly. "Look, you have an 'in' with the angels, right? Maybe they know something?"

"Yeh, maybe," Dean had been withholding this information from Castiel; not wanting to voice his concern. And he would never tell Ellie; he didn't want to burden her. She _just_ got her granddaughter back in her life; they were _just_ forming a relationship again. Dean couldn't ruin that; he wouldn't. Pulling a marker out of his pocket, he grabbed Van's hand and scribbled one of his phone numbers down on her palm, his father's phone number. So he would know if that phone rang; it would be her. "If you find anything; call me."

"I will." Van vowed.

**xxx**


	12. Run For Your Life

*Donovan "Van" Lancaster belongs to the ever so lovely Andi (Selah25). I recommend you read her fic "Thirty Days or Less" on here!*

**Chapter 12**

_Run For Your Life_

She was horrifically lifeless Dean's arms.

Tears spilled from his eyes, breaking their way through the barricade he set in place so many years ago. "Andie..." he whispered her name and ran his hand over her beautifully pale face. Her gorgeous eyes were wide open, frozen and staring into nothingness. He clutched her to his chest and pressed his cheek against her temple. "Please..." he begged, his voice shuddering. "Don't leave me here, I'm beggin' you..." She didn't reply; she couldn't. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry," He repeated. "I'm so sorry, Andie..."

_36 hours earlier..._

"I'm gonna snap your neck," Sam sneered at Andie.

"I'd like to see you try, bitch," Andie retorted.

"Ha!" Sam expertly ran his fingers over the remote control in his hands. "You wish!"

"Hey!" Andie cried with a smile as she watched their game of _Tekken III_ play on the TV. "Leave my torso alone!"

Dean wandered into the motel room with a dinner, take-away burgers, and watched them with curiosity. Andie was on her feet while Sam seemed quite comfortable sitting on the couch. "What are you two doing?"

"Dude, you can rent PlayStation's at the front desk," Sam replied, not taking his eyes off the game.

"I hate this!" Andie tossed the remote to the floor as Sam ripped off her character's head.

"That's 'cos you suck." Sam said, unsuccessfully trying to duck out of the way as she ruffled his hair into a mess.

"Still; this place is definitely a step up from where we usually stay." Andie commented as she hungrily snatched a burger from Dean's hands before he could even put it on the table.

"Are you sure there's no reason where here?" Sam questioned as he sat beside Andie.

"We've been kicking apocalypse ass for months now, we're still avoiding our vessels," He frowned. "Why can't we just have a day off?"

"I'm with you." Andie agreed as she devoured her burger. "Time off is _gooood_."

Dean's cell phone buzzed in his jacket pocket – his father's phone. Van. He excused himself from the table; Sam and Andie were discussing her thoughts of his apparent cheating in their game so they didn't seem bothered when he ducked into the bathroom to answer the call. "Yeah, Van," He answered. "What did you find?"

"Man, you were not kidding about this stuff." Van replied. She'd been home from Montana for a week now, and researching all she could on Qeres. "I didn't even have to look far to find information – that means you're right; someone is dealing in this poison."

"Great," Dean leant back against the wall. "So, who? Where?"

"I'm not sure," Van sighed. "Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. But whoever is dealing with this stuff is keeping it under wraps. But I did discover something"

"Ok, great," Dean said pulling a pen and scrap of paper from his pocket, prepared to write whatever she said.

Van had phoned him two days before with a notable ingredient of Qeres; the blood from the Apis Bull. They were worshipped in the Memphis region of Egypt, and within the past century there had been a church built near Memphis, Tennessee in honour of that fact. In a town called Egypt. Dean had almost laughed when he discovered that fact; it seemed to sickly ironic to be true; but it was. Fifty years before, it had been home to a cult that had since been said to have disbanded, but Van suspected they had just gone into hiding. And it was there, in Egypt, Tennessee, that Dean, Sam and Andie were currently staying.

"The cult, I found out the leaders name was Seth." Van said. "He died about sixty years ago, and he was buried in the town cemetery. Another ingredient for Qeres is the bones of a severely devout man."

"How can you be sure it's the right guy?" Dean asked as he scribbled down the name and ingredient.

"Because he's buried at the Osiris Cemetery." Van said, impressed at her own genius. "Osiris is the God Egyptians believed that the Apis Bull embodied."

"Dammit, Van," Dean said in awe. "I owe you one."

"Just stop them, Dean," Van pleaded. "They can't make this poison."

"They won't." He assured her, thanking her again, before he hung up.

"Dean!" Andie hollered. "I'm eating your food!"

"You better not be!" He yelled back, shoving the paper into his pocket and collecting himself before heading back out into the living room. She wouldn't know why they were here; he wouldn't let her know. Qeres would kill her; take her away from him. He wouldn't let that happen. Never.

After they ate, Andie and Sam went another round on the PlayStation and then both went to bed. Dean took a long, long shower, making sure they were both asleep before he exited the bathroom. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, crept outside to his Impala and climbed up on the hood, staring up into the black night sky.

"You shouldn't be here." Castiel said.

Dean was so used to him popping up out nowhere it didn't make him jump anymore. "So, you know?" He guessed.

"About your mission; yes." Castiel replied. "But I did not know beforehand; I assure you."

"It's okay, Cas," Dean smirked. "Maybe I should have asked you before..."

"You shouldn't be here." He said again.

"Well, funnily enough, you saying that makes me feel like I _should_ be here." Dean pursed his lips together and took a long look at Castiel. "I'm in the right place, aren't I? Van was right about the bull and everything?"

"Yes, she's right." Castiel confirmed. "But it is much too dangerous for Andie to be here. And it's careless of you to have brought her here."

"She doesn't know anything about this."

"She may not, but that doesn't clear her of any danger." Castiel pointed out.

"You can't tell her." Dean slid off his car and was nose to nose with Cas. "Andie, or Ellie. You can't. I'll find whoever's making this-this Qeres drug and stop them." He swallowed hard. "I am not going to get her die, Cas. I won't do it. Not when I can save her." He ducked down, resting his beer bottle on the ground. "You know if I..." He trailed off. Castiel was gone; disappeared mid-conversation as he was so fond of doing.

"I knew it was something." Sam spoke up from the front door of the motel.

Dean sank back against his car. "How long you been there?"

"Long enough." Sam wandered over to him, pulling his coat around his body as he did. "Did you really think I wouldn't catch on? You bring us to a town in the middle of nowhere saying it's for a 'vacation'? I'm surprised Andie went along with it. At first I thought maybe the both of you were keeping something from me."

"You can't tell her, Sammy," Dean rubbed his temples; a migraine was throbbing into his forehead. "You gotta promise me; you can't. She finds out, she'll go after it and it's gonna kill her."

"Where's all this coming from?" Sam shuffled up onto the bonnet of the Impala beside his brother. "How'd you find out about this thing?"

Dean drew in a deep breath, and then divulged it all. He told his brother everything about the time he and Andie spent in 2014. He told him about the Croatoan virus, Annie, Andie's death, Qeres; everything... except for Sam's future. He didn't need to burden his little brother with the knowledge that there was a future that he said yes to Lucifer.

Dean talked until his voice became tight and strained due to the chill in the air, and Sam listened. And after his big brother finished speaking, he promised to help him. Andie was their family; a threat to her was a threat to them. Last name or not, she was a Winchester. And they weren't going to take another life from this family; not if Sam had his way.

**xxx**

Andie slept well; but woke with an ache in her stomach. _Ugh, that cheap burger_, she cursed as she belched and tasted that horrible processed meat across her tongue. She went straight to the shower and gargled with Dean's mouthwash until it burned her mouth before retreating to the shower. Another good thing about this decked out hotel was the excellent shower. It could easily fit two people in it, as Dean and Andie had confirmed, and the water was piping hot. It was so comforting that first night she used it she'd wanted to sleep in there.

Not one for technology, Andie had managed to figure out Sam's iPod and he'd let her buy some songs on iTunes. She didn't really get the concept of it; but it was fun. He'd put a stop to her buying music after she'd purchased 100 songs within a half hour. The radio in the bathroom had an iPod dock, Andie had asked Sam to keep his iPod connected to it so she didn't have to figure it out; but she managed to get through the music library easily enough.

Feeling somewhat more content than she had in awhile, she scrolled through the music library and settled on a song before she climbed into that heavenly shower.

"We get it on, most every night," Andie sang to the one-hit wonder as she danced a little into the shower. "When that moon is big and bright; it's a superna-tur-al delight. Everybody's dancing in the moonli-ight..." It was a nice feeling, she decided. Not having a case, not having a threat. For once, life had slowed down and let her take a moment to breathe.

She sang a few more songs in the shower; took her time washing her hair, shaving her legs; it was the closest she ever got to 'girl time', and even that was pushing it. Whilst humming the chorus of an old John Mellencamp track, she turned off the taps and stepped out of the shower. Her calm day was over; she wasn't alone in the bathroom.

"Good, grief," She didn't bother to cover her naked body and instead placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you people have any class?"

It was a woman standing before her, she looked ragged; desperate. She wore a short red leather skirt, torn black stockings and an oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was a faded pinkish colour, a cheap rinse, and unhealthily thin and frail. She muttered something under her breath; something inaudible.

"What's that now?" Andie stepped fully out of the shower; and suddenly an arm grabbed her around the neck. A sharp pain jabbed her skin, and then blade slicing into her wrists, making her let out a gasp of pain.

"Andie?" Dean's voice called from the other side of the door.

The stinging in her wrists continued a moment longer, and then she was free. She fell to her knees, blurred vision but still seeing the legs and back of the head of a man as he grabbed the desperate looking girl and climbed through the open bathroom window.

The smack of Andie hitting the floor caused Dean to bust in. "Sam! Window!" He called to his brother, who immediately took off after the intruders.

Dean fell beside Andie and wrapped her wrists in a towel. "What happened?"

"They stuck me with something." She pulled one hand, which she had been holding at her neck, back and showed her wound to Dean.

All he saw was blood. "Crap," he grabbed a handtowel and pressed it against the wounds. "Demons?"

"How many demons do you know who climb through windows?" Andie pointed out.

"How many slash people's wrists?" He countered, tearing the handtowel into two and wrapping them securely around her wounds. Then he inspected her neck; there was a definite needle mark and the beginnings of a bruise. "You feel okay?"

Andie leant up off Dean's chest, getting her bearings. "Yeah, I think so." She grumbled in frustration. She really did feel okay; but could she ever get a day without weirdness?

"Come on," Dean kept a strong arm around her, just in case, and led her from the bathroom.

Sam was back a few minutes later. "They had a car waiting," He panted. "Took off before I got a good look at them. No number plates on the car; but it was an old pickup."

Andie, feeling much better now that she was in some clothes, made a displeased face. "Why would they attack me? I mean, they didn't look like demons."

"I dunno," Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't you use your power on them?"

"I didn't have a chance," Andie argued. "I thought it was just that girl, I didn't see the guy."

"We'll find 'em," Dean assured her as he swigged nervously from a beer bottle. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried." Andie replied, and she wasn't. But he was; that much was obvious. He was avoiding eye contact with her, he kept pacing... something had rattled him.

"I could give Bobby a call?" Sam offered, also noticing the change in his brother. "Maybe this is an apocalypse thing?"

Dean was taking another long drink and waited until he'd taken a little more liquor until he answered. "Yeah..." He nodded. "Ok; yeh, that's a good idea."

Andie smacked her hands together. "Alright, the mood in here is way too tense and you just drank our last beer."

"So?"

"So, I just got attacked; I need a drink, too. Bar; down the street. Take me, m'kay?" She was already yanking on her boots.

"Whoa, hang on a sec, Andie, you just got attacked, maybe you should take it slow?"

"I feel fine. And I'll have you there to protect me." She gave him a toothy grin. "Just like you like to." She found his car keys and twirled them in her fingers as she moved passed him for the door.

"Whoa, whoa whoa, _stop_! Dammit, Morgan," Dean took her shoulders roughly in his hands. "You almost died in there," His eyes flashed to the bathroom where blood-stained towels in pools of translucent scarlet water littered the floor. "What would I have...?" He left the sentence hanging there; it was too hard to comprehend that here, of all places, he might have lost her in a friggin' bathroom. "Why don't you take care of yourself for a little bit, huh? Just for a little bit."

Andie's searched Dean's for an answer for all this overprotective behaviour. "What are you afraid of?" She whispered under her breath. And at first, she thought he might actually answer. But he didn't. Instead he swallowed hard, smirked and shook his head.

"Let's get that beer." He said to his feet, taking his keys from her hand and ditching the room right then and there.

Andie waited a moment before she followed him. Something was troubling Dean, something he wasn't telling her. He rarely kept secrets from her; because she usually managed to find out anyway. But this? She didn't know what was going on. He'd been different ever since they'd come back from 2014. Yes, it was a weird trip, with Andie being dead, and all. And sure, it had rattled her, but they had talked about it... this was something he wasn't sharing, and to Andie; that was frightening.

**xxx**

Andie hadn't intended on drinking so fast, but the smooth talking bartender convinced her that tequila and tonic was the way to go. Dean didn't like her drinking tequila; it made her too "overly friendly" in his opinion. So when he went to the bathroom, Andie took on the bartender in a round of shots. She won; granted she downed four before he'd finished his second.

It was whilst making her way back to their booth from the bar that Andie's keen ears picked up a conversation between two women sitting near them.

"God, I wish I could meet someone like Edward Cullen..." The blonde was saying as she twirled a toothpick with an olive stabbed on the end through her drink.

"What?" Andie stopped in her tracks. She knew that name; Cass was way too obsessed with those books "Aw, hell, tell me you're not talking about Twilight." She whined at the women. "Please!"

The brunette at the table glanced nervously at her friend. "Ahh... you don't like it?"

"Lemme tell you a little something about vampires." Andie pulled a chair noisily to their table. "When a vampire lunges at your throat, it ain't all romantic and glittery, okay, it is friggin frightening!" She smacked her palms on the table, causing everything on it to shudder.

Dean came out of the bathroom at that moment and saw her, wildly blurting out their secrets to strangers. He strode quickly to Andie's side and pulled her to her feet; but that didn't stop her talking.

"And the only reason I am here today talking to you two idiots is because my husband," She slung her arm over Dean's shoulder and slapped his chest. "Lopped of that damn things' head before it could get its teeth in me!"

"Andie," Dean said through a tense smile. "You're doing that thing where you act crazy, again."

"Just bringing some realism to these women, Dean." She replied, stumbling a little.

"We just like Twilight," The blonde retorted. "What's wrong with that?"

Andie let out a laugh like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "It perpetuates the myth that a woman's life sucks unless she has a man to fawn over!"

"But you're married." The brunette pointed out.

Andie gave her a bizarre look. "I'm gonna hurt you; right now."

Dean had to physically hold her down.

The man behind the bar gave Dean a look he was all too familiar with when Andie got a little drunk; that 'get the hell out' look. So he gathered her up in his arms and led her out to the Impala. "Ok, Morgan," He said as he lifted her into the back seat. "I'm gonna go take care of your tab, and see if I can stop you being banned at yet another bar. Sit tight, ok?" She responded by flipping him off. "Yeh, love you, too." He rolled his eyes and slammed the car door shut.

Andie managed to get herself to sit up, the tequila and tonic doing its magic on her and making everything hazy. She saw Dean by the passenger's side window and thought how quick he was at smoothing things over. He opened the passenger's side door... that was odd... why wasn't he on the other side... he grabbed her arm... was she dreaming? She brushed her hair from her eyes and didn't see Dean before her. It was another man, and from the looks for the dishevelled, faded-pink haired woman behind him, it was the man who'd attacked her in the bathroom. "No!" She tried to scream, but he gagged her with a wet cloth. She tried to use her power but whatever was soaked onto the rag held to her mouth and nose made her instantly drowsy. She remembered being lifted from the car, and the neon lights of the pub from the backseat of a grease-smelling old truck; and then nothing.

Blackness and the sound of an engine roaring, and the faint stinging of a needle in her arm.

**xxx**


	13. I Feel Fine

**Chapter 13**

_I Feel Fine_

After discovering Andie missing from the back seat of his car, Dean sped to the hotel and informed his brother before frantically calling every number in her cell phone, which had been left in the Impala, trying to find her.

"What do you mean "gone", how can she be gone?" Sam hurriedly punched Cass's number into his cell phone.

"I dunno, she was there and then she wasn't!" Dean snapped, yanking everything out of Andie's bag, not even sure what he was looking for. A clue... a giant map with _Andie Is Here_ written on it...

"You said she was drunk, maybe she just wandered off?" Sam cursed as he got Cass's voicemail.

"No, no, she's was out of it in the back, and I wasn't gone two minutes," He was staring into her empty shoulder bag. "_Sonuvabitch_!" He roared and sent the bag flying into the wall.

"Dean, calm down!" Sam yelled over his brother.

"I can't calm down!" Dean cried. "These people- demons are _here_, Sam, this Qeres shit is happening _here_! And I brought her right to them!" He kicked the side of the bed, shifting the mattress right off its base.

"What did you do?" Ellie's voice was cutting and frantic as she appeared out of nowhere. "What did you DO?" Her hands snatched Dean up's shoulders in a flinch. "Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Dean cried, pulling himself off her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"You have to find her!" Ellie yelled; for once actually looking her age.

"We're trying," Sam said, having to be the stable force for once. "So, wait, you can't sense her?"

"No... she's not dead," Ellie assured Dean and his worried eyes. "I would feel that." She brushed her fingertips over his cheek. "But something is... cloaking her."

"Qeres... that poison..." Dean shook his head.

"I'm afraid so..." Ellie was almost in tears. "It was brewed to harm angels like Andie, Nephilim. It strips them of their abilities... because of her human side; her blood is attainable by others."

"That couple in the bathroom..." Sam realized.

"I knew there was something about them," Dean cursed himself. "I knew it! And I let her take me to that bar..."

"Don't blame yourself, Dean," Ellie told him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "What matters is that you find Andie; and fast. She won't be able to fend for herself, and we both know she will die trying." She grasped his chin between her fingers. "_Find her_."

"I will," Dean vowed. "You can bet on it." With that he snatched up his car keys and stormed out of the room, Sam trailing right behind him.

**xxx**

Andie woke up dizzy; but she didn't feel like she'd woken up at all. Her head was spinning like crazy; more so than she had come to expect from a hangover. The roof was dark... and then light... and then dark... and then light again. It was a flickering florescent light bulb, and it was giving her a headache.

She tried to rub her eyes, or at least cover them; but she couldn't. They were stuck beside her head. _Crap!_ Even moving her head those few centimetres to the left made her feel like a knife was cutting through her brain. She saw the padded handcuffs on her wrists, but it took her mind more than a few seconds to comprehend that she was bound to this bed.

"Dean!"

Her mind yelled his name, but her voice was gone. It was barely above a whisper. She couldn't focus on anything. She couldn't see much; it was all blurred. The colours melded together forming twisted, vague shapes and blobs. Some of the blobs moved. People, maybe.

After trying once to sit up and being forcefully held in place by not only handcuffs, but foot bindings as well, Andie resigned to her bed for now, hoping her senses would clear up and she'd be able to find a way out of this place.

"Andie..." A soft spoken male voice drifted into her ear.

Twitching at the reverberation through her eardrum, Andie saw a blob of colour floating above her face. If she tried really hard, and focused, the blob cleared and she saw a man, smiling down at her. His face was kind; but his eyes were dark, almost black.

"Don't struggle, my dear thing," He stroked her forehead. "The drugs are much too strong, even for you."

"Wha... you wanfromee?" she muttered lazily.

"What we want from all of those like you," An ugly sneer crept onto his face. "Your blood."

A searing burn cascaded over her body so fast she didn't have time to scream before she passed out.

**xxx**

"So Seth..." Sam muttered as she balanced his laptop on his knees whilst Dean drove unsteadily along the road. "Was one fanatical guy... he lead protests about his beliefs, he had ceremonial uniforms for his followers, there were even people who killed themselves in his name after he died."

"Does it say how he died?" Dean asked out of the corner of his mouth, eyes on the road and his fists clenched onto the steering wheel. They were headed for the Osiris church; by all accounts it was where she was being held, and luckily it was on the map.

"Heart attack..." Sam replied. "And Van thinks this group is still running?"

Dean nodded sharply. "It adds up... my guess is some demon is wearing Seth as a meat suit and has been running this thing undetected for years."

Sam snapped his laptop closed. "And their whole plan is to kidnap Andie, and other half-and-halfs?"

"I dunno...maybe... but then why did they inject her at the hotel?"

"If it was the poison, why not kill her and be done with it...?" Sam stopped himself, annoyed at how callous that had sounded. "Sorry."

Dean dodged the comment. "They must need her for something. She can't die."

Sam responded automatically. "She won't."

Dean wasn't listening. "She died in the future, Sam, and this is what killed her... if I'm the reason...? I _brought_ her here, for God's sake. I shoulda just taken off without her..."

"She would have followed, you know that. She always does. She'll be fine, Dean. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Sammy," Dean grumbled.

**xxx**

When Andie woke up again, she was in a dark room with the smallest of light coming through a curtained window to the left. Her arms were still shackled, as were her legs, but she wasn't as drowsy as she had been.

"Are you awake?" A soft voice called to her from the right of the room.

Turning her head on her pillow, Andie made out the cowering figure of a young girl about the same age as her, tied roughly to the wall with thick, iron chains. She was sweating, and exhausted. She wore a white singlet and gray track pants, Andie soon realized she was wearing the same thing.

"Where are we?" Andie asked, thankful that her voice actually sounded normal now.

"A church in a cemetery," The girl replied. "Morbid right? I'm guessing you're a Nephilim, too?"

Andie managed to dig her palms into her mattress and press her head back so she was sitting up a little more. "How did you know that?"

"It's the only reason Seth wants us." She said, wincing and twisting her hands in her cuffs.

"Seth?"

"That guy who injected you. He's draining us."

"Why?"

"Our blood is pure, but since we're human they can actually swallow it and use it to their advantage." She said, biting her lip in pain. "If they ingest it, they get our power. But only if we're alive. Once we die, our blood dies too, it's useless to them."

"Qeres... what does this have to do with Qeres?"

"The poison is the only thing that knocks us out; keeps us drugged so they can drain us..." She managed to manoeuvre herself into a slightly more comfortable position. "Also keeps us hidden from anyone trying to find us."

"Ah... I'm Andie." Andie introduced herself, for lack of anything better to say.

She gave a slight smile. "Belle."

Andie nodded a 'hello'. "How come I got a bed?"

Belle smirked. "I'm guessing because you can't Blink."

"Blink?"

"How angels move," She explained. "In the blink of an eye? I call it Blinking. I can do that..." She shook her chains. "But not when I'm tied like this... these things are laced with Qeres, only thing that keeps me still. Hurts like hell; but I can handle it." She flinched. "So, what have you got?"

"I'm telekinetic."

"Awesome."

"Much better than Blinking." Andie muttered not too quietly.

"Screw you." Belle laughed, closing her eyes and resting her head against the concrete. Conversation was too draining.

"You don't have it?"

Belle shook her head. "That's the thing about us half-breeds; we don't get all the powers. My mother used to say that our humanity is the power." She rolled her eyes. "I get it from her side. You?"

"Yeah, me too..." Andie felt an odd twinge in her stomach; she'd never met someone like this who understood her powers so implicitly; understood her history, her life. It was such a change from what she was used to.

"My family's got half-breeds that go a _looong_ way back." Belle said. "But you...? I'm guessing you're closer to the matriarch-angel..."

"Why do you say that?"

"The way Seth talks about you, about your blood, the closer you are to the one who gave you the angel blood; the stronger you are. I get it from my Gran from almost three hundred years ago. But you," She looked pained. "You're blood is fresh. It's more powerful than mine... good news is they won't be killing you.

Andie was relieved that her mind was ticking over again, trying to figure things out "How can we get out of here?" She asked, testing the strength of her cuffs.

Belle gave her a wistful smile. "I've been here for two months... you tell me?"

"I got two guys with me, they'll find us."

"I had a guy with me as well." Her smile faded. "Aden. And he hasn't found me. What makes you think yours can?"

Andie's smile was strong; confident. "If you knew him, you wouldn't be asking me that question."

**xxx**

Dean was in frantic shock when he slammed his foot on the breaks in front of the Osiris church. At least, where the church was meant to be. He was in the right place; he checked it twice before he jumped out of his car, but there was no church in sight. Nothing. It was meant to be built in a cemetery, but there were no gravestones or crosses or anything in front of him. It was just an empty field.

"Where is it?" He was out of the car in a split second. "Where is it?" He ran to the empty field. "It's on the map, it was on the Goddamn map!" He was screaming at Sam, who didn't have an answer for him.

"You're too late." Castiel's voice was grave as he strode into view.

"What?"

"She's not dead; but they've hidden her." Castiel assured the both. "You can't find her. _I _can't find her. They're using her own power against her."

"So, what now?" Sam asked, feeling immediately uneasy at how troubled Castiel appeared. "What do we do? How do we find her?"

"You have to help her." Castiel said to Dean, who looked like he was about to explode.

"Help her?" Dean threw his hands out to his sides. "HOW? WHERE?"

"Not where. When." Castiel approached him. "1995. Helping her in the past would change the way she is in the future, strengthen her, make her visible to me."

Dean was more than confused. "How do you expect me to help her, exactly?

"The source of her power, that's what they're tapping into." Castiel explained. "Andie doesn't know how to block it from them. It's an open wound. Close it back then, when it's greatest, and you'll heal her now."

Dean just looked at him. "What?"

"Hurry. You have twenty-four hours." And with that, Castiel pressed his fingers against Dean's forehead, and he was gone.

**xxx**

The same as the last time he'd travelled back in time, Dean woke up on a bench in broad daylight on the side of a busy street. He didn't recognize his surroundings at all. The street, the people, the cars... everything was slightly off. Similar; but different.

The first thing he did was find a newspaper. It wasn't hard, there was a young man selling them at the corner. Spying the date, Dean had to do a double take. Not only had he travelled back to 1995; he'd travelled across the ocean. He was in Australia; Sydney to be exact; the city where Andie was from.

How the heck was he supposed to find her here? She never talked much about her childhood. If it was '95, Andie would be around 14 years old. She'd been orphaned for almost five years by now and ditched that group home; she was living on the street, under overpasses and in old cars. She didn't have an address.

So for lack of something better to do, Dean just walked. Twice he almost swore because cars were on the wrong side of the road; before he remembered he was in the Southern Hemisphere. He didn't have any cash besides a few pennies, which were useless over here. So he was pretty lost, in all senses of the word, and as irony would have it he wound up out the front of a church, St. Thomas Anglican Church. It was a large building, but very welcoming. It stood solid in the centre of a small field of grass surrounded by pale white and gray cobblestones. It was closed for the day so there was no one around as Dean inspected it. It wasn't particularly impressive, all things considered, so Dean started to move on; but stopped the moment he heard the familiar sound of feet crunching against the ground.

It was to his left, beside the entrance to the church, that he heard the movement. Slowly, he made his way to the tree line and peered through some branches. He could see the trees were decorating a small stream of water that flowed down past the church and underneath a footbridge.

A soft humming could be heard from just across the water's edge, where Dean could see a young girl squatted by the water washing a shirt in the stream, humming a tune. Her hair was dirty brown and wildly shifting in the breeze, she was very thin but also seemed very strong. Dean carefully took a few steps towards her, careful not to make any sound, and kept himself hidden behind the thick tree trunk.

"I already know you're here." She suddenly said without turning around.

Dean cursed himself, and looked out from behind the tree trunk. Now she was facing him, and she had a handgun aimed to his chest. "Whoa, what are you doing with that, kid?"

"You're the one following me," She replied. "I think I'll ask the questions."

The accent, the sneer, the blazing cerulean eyes... it was her, no question. "Andie?" Dean stammered.

She dropped the gun to her side and narrowed her eyes at him. "How'd you know that?"

Dean had to think fast. "I'm here to help you." He said quickly. "I'm Dean."

She slid the gun into the back of her jeans. "Okay, then."

Dean waited for the other shoe to drop. "That's it? You believe me?"

"I've been coming by this church every day for over a year now," She said. "Every time I do, I get this weird shiver and strangely enough it disappears the second I walk off the lot. And then today? For some reason, you pop up in my head. So I thought I'll just take a walk down here and see what's what... and then here you are."

Her attitude was the same as when Dean had first met her, and back then she'd shattered his car window. He wasn't sure what to make of her now; she might be less than half his age but she was kind of terrifying. Cautiously; he watched her as she packed up her things, as casual as anything, and started up the hill across the stream. "Coming?" She yelled without turning back to him.

Andie was tough to deal with at the best of times, and that was after knowing her for three years. As Dean trudged behind her he began to wonder what the hell he was going to happen. He had twenty-four hours to heal some sort of wound with her, to save Andie in his future.

None of this was familiar, not that it should have been, but he was sure his 2014-self would have mentioned something about travelling back and see Andie at this age. And because he hadn't, Dean wasn't as concerned as perhaps he should have been. This was a different future. They'd changed something. This Qeres stuff wasn't supposed to happen for another year or so, he'd sped things up.

Only time would tell if he had made the right decision.

**xxx**


	14. Devil In Her Heart

**Chapter 14**

_Devil In Her Heart_

_1995_

Dean shouldn't have been surprised that she acted the way she did, but he couldn't stop thinking how similar she was to Andie; obviously. It was just so strange... she was Andie... but not his Andie... but she was. She didn't say anything as they walked along, her in the lead of course, and Dean didn't comment either. Mostly he was thinking about what he was supposed to do. His Andie needed help, and to do that he needed to help _this_ Andie. How he set about doing that; Dean had no idea.

"We're here."Andie suddenly said as they walked along an empty ally.

Dean didn't see anything to indicate they were anywhere else but an empty ally, until Andie pushed aside a large dumpster with the flick of her wrist to reveal a metal door. It was cold, damp and it stank like a garbage dump. "You live here?"

"At least it's a roof." She opened the door. "Get in."

Inside was somewhat nicer than outside. It was small, the door just led to a passage which led to an empty room which was quite warm, due to the fact that it had a generator whirring in the corner. There was a small bed against the wall with a few pillows scattered over moth-eaten sheets. Empty cans of beer and soda littered the floor as well as takeout wrappings; it reminded him of the inside of his car. "This is... nice."

"Shut up; it's ugly." She pointed to a deck chair and told him to sit. "But its inside."

"Where were you living before?" Dean asked as he sat in the oddly comfortable metal chair.

"Public library." She replied, kneeling before a mini-fridge running off of the generator's power. "They found me there last week; normally I don't let myself sleep more than a couple of hours; but I'd had a long day. I know the guy who lives here; he's out of town." She took two cans of soda from the fridge and tossed one to him. "So, you're not a vampire 'cos we just walked through the sun." She flopped down cross-legged on the bed. "And you're not a demon because you're sitting in a cast-iron chair. So," She flicked open the can with one finger. "What are you?"

"I'm human, if that's what you're asking." Dean told her as he cracked open his can. "You said you could sense me, right? Can't you sense that?" He realized he had to be careful what he said to her; at this age she had no idea she was half-angel. But he wouldn't make the mistake of thinking she couldn't handle herself.

Andie took a long drink from her can, inspecting him, and smirked. "Ok... so you're good... but how did you know my name? I don't tell anyone my name; ever. I haven't in three years." She pointed at him. "But you knew it. You knew who I was. How?"

She looked just like Andie when she accused him of something. There was no point in lying, and maybe telling her the truth would get them to the point faster; he only had twenty-four hours, after all. "I'm from the future." He revealed. "We're... friends." He didn't want to freak her out with too much; bare minimum would suffice. "And you, the future you, you're in danger. So I was sent back here to help _you_, which will help you... back... where I'm from..." He frowned. "That make sense?"

"Weirdly enough." Andie rolled her eyes.

Dean almost laughed; she even did that the same. "So... I have to help you..."

She scoffed into her drink and laughed. "Help me? Sweetie... I don't need help."

"You're living in a dump."

"True," She leant back against her pillows. "But I hardly think you're here to help me move house."

"So what do you think?"

"Well," She ran her thumb over the mouth of her can. "Like I said before, I saw you at the church. And I don't think its coincidence that you're out the front of St. Thomas's when there are half a dozen churches nearby."

"What is it about that place? You said you got a feeling?"

"Yeah, this weird shiver every time I walk by..." Her young brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't know why, I don't recall ever being there. My family's never been big on the church thing."

Dean suppressed a laugh; _if she only knew where her power came from_... "Maybe we go back there, see what's-what."

"You're American." Andie said as if she'd just realized it.

"And?"

"Do I go there or do you come here? I mean, how are we friends we're you're from?" Her eyes were almost bouncing with excitement now. "What am I like in the future? Do I look the same? What year did you come from?"

Dean ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to tell you everything... you wouldn't want to change it."

To this, she said nothing. She just looked at him; knowing he wasn't telling her everything, and that he wouldn't. "Fine." She said bitterly, finishing her can and adding it to the crud that was on the floor. "Then let's go back to that church."

Knowing how made she was normally, and not wanting to piss of teenage Andie, Dean tossed his can to the floor and followed her back outside into the cold.

**xxx**

_Present_

As the sun set outside her window, someone came into Andie and Belle's room. A woman wearing a form-fitting yellow dress that clashed horrifically with her violent red hair. She didn't even cast a glance at Belle; she just approached Andie's bed slowly, almost menacingly.

"You're awake..." She said in a sultry voice. "That's good."

Andie suppressed the urge to spit in her face. "Who the hell are you?"

"Nadyne." She smiled, her cheeks dimpling, and ran a hand across Andie's arm. "We're so happy you're with us, Andie..." She stroked one of her slim fingers down the inside of Andie's wrist. "I think you're my favourite."

"If you love me so much; why don't you let me up out of this bed?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" With a flirtatious grin, she unhooked Andie's leg and hand bindings, and then gestured for her to sit up. "Better?"

Andie slowly sat up; having been in bed for so many hours she was a little lightheaded but that passed after a moment. She cracked her neck and turned to face the redhead, who, in a different light, probably would have been beautiful. But in the fading sun she just looked old and worn out beyond her years. "Much better," Andie jumped to her feet and thrust her hand at the woman, willing her with all her power to be thrown as far back as she could muster. But the woman didn't move; in fact she just laughed.

"Oh, honey, did you really think I wasn't prepared for that?" She pulled at her necklace, removing the trinket resting between her cleavage and holding it up to the light. "Qeres mixed with your half-breed blood..." She hummed in pleasure. "Mmm... such good protection."

Andie didn't pause for a second. She snatched both her hands around the woman's neck and squeezed, using whatever muscle she had to throw all her weight into her grip. Sweeping her leg around the woman's ankles, Andie forced her down onto her knees. She slammed her head once into the bed frame; and then again until blood poured from a wound to her head. Letting her drop to the floor; Andie approached Belle who was looking on with great interest.

"Is she...?"

"She'll be fine." Andie peered down at Belle and her poison chains. "How do I get you out of here?"

"Don't touch them!" She growled under her breath as Andie reached for the lock. "It'll hurt you. You're strong now; you have to get away."

"And leave you here?"

"They won't kill me; but they'll kill you if they think you're a flight risk. Just 'cos you can't Blink doesn't mean you can't run away." Belle tried to make herself look stronger. "Andie, go!"

She didn't need more convincing. Andie knew she'd get Belle out somehow, but she had to get herself out first. She'd been screaming for Ellie and Castiel in her mind since the moment she'd woken up; and the fact they hadn't responded yet told her that they couldn't hear her. She had to get away from this church; away from whatever was cloaking her, so they could hear her.

A twinge began to form in her stomach, Andie realized that even if she did call Castiel and Ellie; they'd be vulnerable to the Qeres as well... she'd be luring them into a death trap. She had to find a way to fend them off. How, exactly, she had no idea.

**xxx**

_1995_

They arrived at the church after sunset. Andie had borrowed a truck from someone who Dean was pretty sure was drugged out of their mind, but seemed happy enough to throw Andie the keys to his faded blue utility vehicle with the paint chipping and one hell of a loud engine. It was kind of slow, too, but it was better than walking.

Like most churches, it was open all hours so Dean and Andie weren't surprised to see candles lit along the walls and down the aisle. There were two dozen or so pews, empty but recently waxed so they glimmered in the candlelight. It was calming, at least for Dean. He hung back a little, taking it all in, but Andie stormed down the aisle with purpose; like she knew where she was going. Her shoulders were hunched together and she was flicking her thumbnail against her forefinger; she was nervous. "What's wrong?" When she turned; Dean's heart fluttered a little. She was crying. "Andie..." He strode towards her.

"I know this place," She backed away from him. "I know it, I remember it." She was in front of the alter now, and she ran her hands over the pew to her right. "I sat here..." She ran behind the alter to the window and peered out. "The graveyard outside..."

"What's going on, Andie?" Dean was still standing at the pew.

"My mother's buried here." She said gravely. "I didn't remember... how do I not remember?" She came back to Dean and placed her hands on the pew again. "I sat here... she was there." She pointed to the stone table atop the alter. "They took her outside and buried her..." In a flash, she ran for the back door.

Dean trailed outside after her like a puppy, but she seemed to know where she was going now. And then all of a sudden, she stopped. They stood in front of a large grave that Dean quickly realized was for two people, Andie's mother and father. Buried together.

_In Loving Memory of_

_Dylan Harris & Lily Morgan_

_Loving Parents To Andie_

_Most Generous Souls. _

_We'll Miss You Forever._

_Always Young_

"My whole life has been nothing but a hole... where my mother should have been." She said vaguely.

Dean looked to her; wondering what had caused her to say that. The obvious aside, but why that? Something about the way she said it made Dean think back to Castiel's words to him. _The source of her power... It's an open wound. Close it... when it's greatest, and you'll heal her..._ Dean had been running with the theory that the source of Andie's power was Ellie; her grandmother was the full angel after all. But it hit him, that of course Andie didn't get her abilities _from_ Ellie. That was where they _originated_, but her power was passed on through her mother. And Lily Morgan was Andie's biggest open wound.

"My mother..." Andie continued unaided. "She killed herself in our bathtub... slit her wrists with a razor one night after I was sleeping..." Her chin shook a little. "I don't remember her much at all..." She bit her lip; trying to get her chin to behave. "At the orphanage, they tried to tell me there'd been a burglar... that someone had broken in and killed her... but I knew. I found her. I saw her..."

"You're scared." Dean could see that in her eyes, even from an angle. "It's okay, I understand." Dead mothers, hell, dead parent's, Dean knew. That pain was not unfamiliar to him. Though he and Andie never discussed it in the present; he knew it was just another bond they shared; something else that had drawn them together. "See, when I was about your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too."

She turned slowly to face him; tears glistening in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Dean felt water rushing to his own eyes; that memory of his mother still fresh after all this time. "I didn't feel like talking," He muttered, averting her gaze. "Just like you. But see, my mom - I know she wanted me to be brave. And maybe...your mum wants you to be brave, too." He had moved ever so slightly so he was standing parallel to her. Andie had never seemed small to him before; even in this time when she had lost a good head of her height; but at that moment she looked so... childlike.

"She doesn't want me to be brave. _She_ wasn't brave" Andie shoved passed Dean and headed around front, threading through gravestones as she walked.

Dean followed. "What are you talking about?"

She stopped, turning again to face him, unsuccessfully trying to keep her emotions bottled up inside her heart. "I was so awful..." A thick tear slid down her dirty cheek, it shone in the moonlight. "So horrible that the only option she had was to kill herself; rather than be with me." Her voice started to shake. "My life is harder than hers was, and not once do I think of killing myself." She gulped. "She wasn't brave; she was a coward."

"Andie." Dean could feel tears in his eyes. He knew a mother's love, even though his mum had died so many years ago, he knew she loved him. And he knew Lily had loved Andie.

She sniffled loudly. "It was easy for her to leave me 'cos she never wanted me in the first place."

Dean didn't bother to wipe the tear that fell from his eye. "You're wrong."

Seeing him cry made Andie let her sadness overtake her, too. He made her unafraid to show what she felt. "I don't mean to be a bad person but I just can't help it." Her face broke into a flow of tears. "I just wanted to help her, I just wanted her to stay with me," She heaved huge breaths as sobs took her over. "My mother! I killed my mother!" She fell to her knees. "I killed her!"

Dean dropped to his knees as well; he'd only seen Andie his broken a handful of times in his life; but almost all of them revolved around her mother in some way. She missed her; and would never stop missing her. She blamed herself for her death; and would never stop blaming herself, but she had to let it go.

"Listen to me," Dean took her shoulders and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. "It's not your fault."

Andie balled her fists and slammed them both into the damp grass at her sides. "Then why didn't she stay alive for me?"

"She was sick, Andie." Dean told her; his voice as firm as his grip on her. "She was sick and you couldn't help her. You were just a kid. But you did not make her do what she did, do you hear me?"

"How do you know that?" She wailed.

"Because I know _you_!" He shook her. "And I know you are so strong and so smart, funny... so beautiful. And _she_ gave that to you." She stopped sobbing so loudly and instead tried to steady her breath. "She might be the bad that's inside you; but she's the good that's inside you, too. And you have to focus on the good; because that's all we got that's worth living for."

She was quiet, the only sound in the air her rasps as she calmed herself down. "I know I act like I don't care," She said through gasping breaths. "But I don't want to die. Where you're from; please don't let me die."

"Listen to me; you're not gonna die, I'm not gonna _let you_ die, you hear me? You gotta believe me, please!"

Instead of talking, Andie did what Dean rarely expected her to do when she was upset. She hugged him.

"I believe you..." She looped her arms around his middle and leant against his chest. "You came back for me."

Dean stroked the back of her tangled mess of hair; believing for the first time that this was the woman he loved in the future. In this second; a broken angel; she was his Andie.

After a few more deep breaths, Andie stopped crying. Wiping her eyes, she looked at Dean and smiled. "You love her, don't you? Me, I mean. Where I'm from?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Because," She sighed. "I have this journal, it was my mothers... and my Grandmother's... and in it, they both wrote how much they hated men because they never understood what we do. Our powers, the way we fight demons... but then when they both met their husbands; that changed. My grandmother wrote that 'if you find someone who'll stay with you at your worst; then that's love'." She gulped. "And you know my worst."

Dean smiled and held his hand to her cheek. He heard the flutter of wings behind him; saw the puzzled look on Andie's face, but didn't bare to turn around because he knew what was about to happen.

He was back in his motel room, Castiel before him, eyes closed in deep concentration. "Cas?"

"Sam is still at the church," he replied. "Or rather where it used to be. It's still there; it's just cloaked like Andie."

"Is she okay?"

"I'm looking for her."

"No, not here... back then..."

"The only thing affected in time was Andie herself. She doesn't even remember she met you."

Dean shot him a look. "You wiped her mind?"

"Just of your visit; you healed her just like I asked."

Dean sank into the comfort of the couch. He could still feel the warmth of her in his arms, the smell of the graveyard. If he closed his eyes; she stood before him, broken and bruised; so young and so damaged at the same time. "How long was she like that?"

Castiel paused before he answered. "Too long." His eyes snapped open. "I found her."

**xxx**


	15. I Got To Find My Baby

**Chapter 15**

_I Got To Find My Baby_

Andie was two floors up from where she'd left Belle and still she couldn't find a way out. She was also yet to run into any blockades so she feared she'd stumble upon a room of villagers with torches and pitchforks.

She was half-right. They didn't have pitchforks; but they were waiting for her.

Her guard was up; she had the front door in sight and no one was around. She sprinted for it; it was unlocked; and then she was out in the night air; with a dozen or so black-eyed demons with Seth at the helm just waiting for her.

"It's a tad cliché; but you really did just walk towards your death, Andie," Seth was simply pleased to see her.

Andie wasn't afraid; she saw how weak he really was. "I thought you couldn't kill me."

"Oh, we can." Seth rested his hands at his lower back and swaggered towards her. "You need to be alive for us to drink from you; but we only keep you living if you don't cause a fuss. And attacking my Nadyne?" His smile vanished. "Well; that's a fuss."

Now Andie was the one to grin. "Eat shit."

"Careful, child." Seth's eyes flashed in anger. "You're in a field of God."

"There is no God here." Andie growled. She wasn't one for religion; but evil was evil. And _this_ was evil. "You're draining good people."

"You are not _people_!" He screamed and clutched her jugular with an iron fist. "You are _scum_! Not human... not angel... a mistake... a stain... something to be rid of."

"If I'm so wrong; then why do you drink from me?" She sneered.

"We purify you..." Seth gently reached out and stroked her cheek. "When you are of use to us; you are no longer a decrepit, useless pustule..."

"Hey, jerkwad!" Dean hollered across the drive. "That's _my _decrepit, useless pustule," he aimed his sawn-off directly for Seth's heart. "And if you don't let her go I'm gonna blow a new hole in you."

Seth threw his head back and laughed manically. "Knew you'd find us, Dean!" He cackled. "Late, of course. Too late for your sweet one." He yanked a dagger from his waistband and in one swipe of his hands, he'd slit Andie's wrists. The poison dripped from the blade and mixed with her blood; Seth stared at it, almost mesmerized, and then licked the length of the blade making a sickeningly satisfied moan.

That searing pain that had overtaken her before, once again tossed Andie into a dazed and confused unconsciousness. She knew she was bleeding; she felt the agony, but she couldn't move. Her body convulsed back and forth as Seth took her wrists to his mouth and drank straight from her veins.

Dean had never felt more anger in his life. Every demonically possessed person who stood in his way got a shotgun full of salt blown straight through them. He could see her, twitching on the ground, Seth letting her blood drip down his chin as he fed from her like an animal. Dean wanted him dead. He didn't want to hurt him; he wanted him _dead_.

Tackling Seth off of Andie was just the first step. He smacked him in the chin twice with the butt off his shotgun until he heard the crunch of a jawbone shattering. Then, tossing the gun aside, he started in with his fists, pummelling harder and harder; throwing all his weight into every punch. He could hear Andie gurgling in agony behind him; and that just spurred him on to punch harder.

"Dean!" Sam cried. "He's possessed; stop!"

Of course he was possessed; they all were. He was dead anyway; the demon inside him was what was feeding on Andie. And if Dean couldn't strangle that smoky son of a bitch; then he'd settle for wearing out the meat suit.

"Dean!" Sam called out again. "Let me do it; help Andie!"

At the sound of her name, Dean turned to her. She was looking at him; her eyes were glazed but they were definitely looking at him. Tears were streaming down her face and blood was bubbling at her lip. The poison was running through her; he could almost see it destroying her from the inside out. Abandoning his attack on Seth; he crawled over to her on his knees and lifted her into his arms.

"It's ok, Andie, I'm here..." He said, rocking her. "I'll never leave you..." He could hear Sam muttering a dispossession spell behind him but it was all just background noise to him now, Andie was all he could see. "Everything's gonna be okay; you'll be fine," He gave a shaky smile and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Dean... you came back for me..." She smiled tiredly.

"Always," He stifled a sob and shook her to keep her eyes open. "No, no, don't you fade out on me now, come on." He tightened his arms around her and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Please, baby, don't..."

And then she stopped breathing.

She was horrifically lifeless Dean's arms.

Tears spilled from his eyes, breaking their way through the barricade he set in place so many years ago. "Andie..." he whispered her name and ran his hand over her beautifully pale face. Her gorgeous eyes were wide open, frozen and staring into nothingness. He clutched her to his chest and pressed his cheek against her temple. "Please..." he begged, his voice shuddering. "Don't leave me here, I'm beggin' you..." She didn't reply; she couldn't. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry," He repeated. "I'm so sorry, Andie..."

Sam, in shock and awe, fell back against the Impala and sank to the ground. Andie's legs were bent on an odd angle off of Dean's lap; and he wanted so much to make her comfortable, to make her better.

The next thing Andie knew, a pulse shot through her abdomen and spread throughout her body, forcing her eyes to snap open and huge breaths to expand in her lungs. Her vision, previously blurred, was crystal clear and she saw Dean's fascinated, tearful eyes locked on her as he pulled her into a sitting position.

"Are you okay? Are you alright?" He kept asking over and over, afraid to blink in case she collapsed and fell into him.

"Yeah," Andie panted and pressed herself against his chest. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sam was at her other side, holding his hand to her face as if checking her temperature.

"Yeah... I feel okay, really." She tried to get up, but Dean wouldn't let her and instead scooped her up in his arms.

"We gotta get you to a hospital."

"Hospital?" Andie almost laughed. "No, I'm fine."

"Shut it, you're going." Dean demanded. "Whatever that was almost killed you, so your angel powers aren't the thing that's going to heal you. Doctors are. Real ones, with drugs and stuff."

Too tired to argue, Andie let him climb with her into the back seat of the Impala, Sam taking over as driver, and the trio headed for the hospital. Dean wouldn't let her sit up, wouldn't let her close her eyes or even talk too much. He just wanted her awake; looking at him. Those eyes staring at him with life in them, not a glazed "lost" expression. He was still afraid he'd blink and wake up back at that church in that parking lot with her limp body in his arms.

That was what it was, he realized, that made his future self in 2014 what he had become. It was that moment. Losing her changed him in the future, because Dean knew it changed him now. Never had he lost her, actually _lost_ her. Everything that had happened to her these past two days was his fault. If she hadn't have woken up; she would have died. He would have been the cause for it, just like in the future. Why had she woken up? What had done it? Ellie? Or maybe something else, something more powerful than they had encountered yet... whatever it was, Dean didn't care. If she was alive; then so was he. And if she died, as the future spelled out, then so would he.

**xxx**

Andie hated hospitals; she always had, and because of her angelic blood that kept her from dying; she rarely had to be admitted to them. But the Qeres was different; the only thing dangerous to half-human half-angels like her, it cut through her protective barriers and had laid her up in this hospital for the last two days.

Most of the time she'd spent sleeping; and by the time she woke up there was a doctor at the end of her bed telling her she had improved greatly and could be released the next morning. Dr. Vivian Charles was a young, determined doctor who, although invested in each of her patients, was always on the run to a new emergency. It didn't bother Andie any; it meant she wasn't too concerned with how and why Andie had been admitted, and took Dean's 'alcohol poisoning' story at face value.

Upon hearing the news Andie would be released in the morning, Dean exited her room muttering something about moving the Impala from its illegal park in an ambulance bay, and Sam went to get them something to eat, but Andie called her husband back before he left.

"When I woke up, back at the church," Andie started as Dean sat back down in the chair by her bed. "The first thing I remembering thinking of is my mother." She paused. "I haven't woken up like that in a long while."

Dean smirked and held out his hands. "How much do you want to know?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Well... I helped you." Dean decided on telling her the vague truth. "I helped you figure out some stuff with your mum... and it saved your life." She didn't ask for more information; so Dean didn't give her any. But he was curious about some things himself. "Andie, why don't you talk about her?"

She shrugged; suddenly feeling very claustrophobic in this room. "I dunno... I guess I just... don't like to think about her, 'cos whenever I do I see her in that bathtub..." She let her lips smile. "It's easier, I suppose." She sighed. "I don't want to be her, Dean... and, I dunno, maybe not thinking about her is my way of stopping myself from becoming her."

"You're not the same person, Andie." Dean felt so odd; having this conversation with the same person; just in two different times. "She didn't have what you have, alright? She didn't have people to help her and who love her no matter what."

Andie rolled her eyes and pouted. "Like you?"

"Yes, like me, dammit." His tone made her look him right in the eyes. "So don't you _dare_ think about screwing that up, ok? I'm not going to let you do it, you hear me?"

Andie could only nod.

"What happened with your mum..." Dean continued softly. "It's tragic... but it is not your fault."

And then she cried. Old tears, new tears, it didn't matter. Every time he did something like this, something so inherently _Dean_ it made her cry. Not sadness, not at all. Happiness... uncertainty... just being overwhelmed... whatever it was, it always came at her like a wildfire. Dean climbed up onto the bed with her and held her in his arms, letting her sob against his chest, and even tearing up a little himself. They stayed together like that for an hour; until Andie's sobs quieted down.

No sooner had Dean climbed off her bed did the doctor come in, Dean took the opportunity and went to go move the car, positive that he would have a new parking ticket waiting for him.

"All your vitals are back to normal," Dr. Charles was saying as she thumbed through Andie's chart. "Everything looks good; you were both very lucky."

_Both? _Andie mentally repeated. _Oh yeah, Belle..._ "So Belle's alright?" Andie leant back in her pillows, relieved her muscles weren't aching anymore. "She got out okay?"

"Hm?" The doctor had been scribbling something on Andie's chart. "Oh; yes, she's fine, too." She clicked closed her pen, and then pager started beeping. "I'm sorry," She said as she answered it. "I have to go."

"Wait, you said _too_," Andie's brow crinkled into her confused expression. "You weren't talking about Belle?"

Dr. Charles was definitely in a rush and already leaving the room. "No, sorry, I wasn't. I was talking about your baby. You're at the two month mark; everything looks good," Her pager went off again. "I'm sorry; I'll check in on you before you go." With that, she was gone, and Andie was left staring into the empty hallway.

_Baby? Me?_ Andie would have laughed if her face wasn't frozen in shock. "Oh, Hell..." She whispered, lips unmoving.

Not a baby... not a child... not a mother... she couldn't be a mother... she didn't know how... she didn't want to be one; she wasn't suited for it and never would be. Her life was going in a different direction... a baby meant a responsibility Andie was not cut out for, and as for Dean being a father? No matter what her trips to the future told her, she feared he wouldn't be cut out for it, either.

Two clueless parents and a baby... the oldest story in the book.

**xxx**


	16. Little Child

**Chapter 16**

_Little Child_

When Dean told Andie he wanted her to lay low while he and Sam checked out something odd happening at a psychiatric hospital, she didn't protest. He told her he understood; the last place like that she went to housed Cassidy-possessed-by-Anna; of course she didn't want to revisit that. In truth, Andie hadn't thought about it in that way at all. All she could think of was this baby inside her.

She was trying not to think too much of that future where she was dead and left her daughter alone; and instead just tried to think of a next step. Telling Dean was _not_ the way to go right now. Jo and Ellen Harvelle had died; Ellen refusing to leave her daughter's side after a nasty attack from Hellhounds. Together they'd hold up in a home; waited for the devil dogs to surround them, and then set off explosives blowing the dogs, and themselves, into nothingness.

It was just started to pile up now. The death toll. By all accounts, Dean, Cassidy and herself should all be dead, too, if it were not for the angelic intervention. Andie couldn't help but think that her time was definitely running out. The angel blood that protected her was going to be passed on to her baby; she was going to have to be careful now, she wasn't going to be invincible for much longer.

In between pacing and sudden bursts of swearing, Andie had managed to clean the hotel room and then rearrange the furniture. It was all busy work; what she really wanted was a drink, but before she'd left the hospital the doctor had given her a pamphlet on healthy pregnancy, number one on the DON'T's list was drinking & smoking. Andie wasn't fond of smoking, but drinking? What else was she supposed to do when she was nervous?

"Ok, I'm here, and I have your M&M's." Cass announced as she barged into the motel room. She'd driven all night in Luka's truck in response to Sam's message that Andie was in hospital. While on the drive, her friend had called her herself to say she'd been released but that she still wanted to see her; and she wanted candy.

"Oh, thank you," Andie snatched the giant bag and tore it open.

"Yeah, I swung past the cinema and grabbed the giant ones you like so much." Cass settled onto the couch and hugged a pillow to her chest. "Why'd you need it anyway?"

"Because when I'm _this_ nervous, I like to drink. And apparently pregnant women can't drink." She shoved a fistful of M&M's in her mouth.

"Preg..." Cass's laugh turned into a wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights expression. "Oh, _shit_, Andie!"

"I know!" Andie cried with her mouth full. "Do that for 36 hours and then you'll be where I am."

"You're pregnant? Like... pregnant-_pregnant_?"

"No, fake-pregnant, Cass," Andie snapped sarcastically.

"I just..." She gestured to Andie to sit beside her and helped herself to a load of M&M's. "Wow... is this... I mean... this could be... good."

"No! It's not good!" Andie jumped to her feet and losing a few M&M's in the motion. "How is this good? I _hate_ kids. Everyone's kids. They're noisy and messy and-and annoying and expensive! And what the hell are we supposed to do, whack a baby seat in the back of the Impala while we travel the countryside fighting demons?"

"Well..." Cassidy thought hard to find a positive. "Dean's father raised them on the road, right?"

"Yeah, and I think he'll be the first to tell you what a sucky life that was." Andie fell heavily back into the couch, swallowing down more chocolate. "Plus, his father is dead. Hell, _all_ of our parents are dead. It doesn't bode well for the life of this kid, now, does it?"

"Ok, you need to calm down," Cass said as she rested her legs across Andie's lap and laid her head on the arm of the couch.

"That's what the M&M's are for." Andie replied, stuffing more into her mouth. "God, I wish I could drink."

"Yeah... not for nothing but isn't all that sugar bad for the kid, too?" Cass bit her tongue with the murderous look Andie responded with. "Ok, yeah, eat up."

Andie growled under her breath. "A baby doesn't fit into this life right now." She sighed and fell back into the couch. "I'm fighting the apocalypse here. The way things are going, the world will be over before this thing comes out!"

"Come on, now, don't act like that. You know that everything happens for a reason-"

"Oh, Cass, save your hippie BS for someone who gives a damn, ok?"

"How pregnant are you, by the way?" Cass eyed her up and down.

"The doctor said two months."

Cass pursed her lips in thought. "Where were you two months ago...

"With Dean, obviously," Andie replied. "That was right after we came back from visiting Zoe..."

"When Sam was holed up in Bobby's panic room," Cass remembered vividly. "Right..." She drifted into the horrid memory for just a moment and then clapped her hands together. "Ok!" She said brightly. "Now we have an answer to one question, so we just keeping knocking 'em out."

"Yeh," Andie rolled a few M&M's in her hands before popping them into her mouth. "Do you think it's the kid that brought me back to life?"

"I guess..." Cass shrugged. "The kid's probably to blame for all the odd stuff you've been doing. The positivity, that time you felt Dean being hurt... you've been pregnant since you brought Lucifer back; I always thought it was just ramifications from whatever 'saved' you three and whacked you on that plane..." she eyed Andie's abdomen. "Apparently not."

Andie didn't answer; she was too busy thinking back to all the times she'd felt a nudge or twinge in her stomach these last few months. She actually thought her power was growing; not a child.

"Still can't believe you didn't realize," Cass continued. "Didn't you miss your period?"

"I dunno. They've been weird for a long while."

"Oh, don't tell me you're one of those girls who doesn't know they're pregnant 'til they sit on the can and a baby pops out..." She stifled a laugh. "A little Cassidy..." She grinned. "That would be perfection."

"I don't need a _third_ Cass in my life; thank you." Andie replied politely.

A thought occurred to Cass. "How are you going to tell Dean?"

"No, no, no, no, no," Andie said quickly. "We are _not_ telling Dean anything, it's a sure-fire way to give him a coronary."

"Fine, have it your way. But when he asks you why you're gaining weight only in your uterus; you'll have to tell him something."

"Cass, promise me you won't tell."

Cassidy held up her hands in defeat. "Cross my heart."

"You're supposed to cross your heart when you say that."

"Don't tell me how to do stuff!"

That was the end of the conversation for now. Cassidy stayed with her friend that night, they ordered take away and rented a B-grade horror movie that they just wound up laughing about ("This guy is missing three limbs; how the hell is he still alive?"), and then they fell asleep on the Andie's bed together.

A soft tickling under her nose woke Andie from a comfortable sleep; she felt the need to sneeze but it never came out. And then it went away... and came back. Finally, her eyes snapped open when she'd whacked herself in the face; a giddy looking Dean was snorting with laughter and dangling a feather in his fingers.

"You suck," She growled, shoving him away. "Dammit."

Dean was stifling a laugh. "Aw, but I love when you do that almost-sneezing face. I like your new blanket, by the way."

Andie gave him a wry look and then glanced down; Cass was lying flat across her stomach with her legs dangling off one side of the mattress and her arms off the other. "Oh, right," She roughly shoved Cassidy onto the floor. "Don't worry, she's a heavy sleeper." Her friend responded with a loud snore. "What are you doing here? I was going to pick you up from the crazy house today..."

"Yeah, we, ah, broke out." Dean gave her a tired smile. "Things got a little too... real. Sammy's taking a shower... he got a little insight into his anger issues... apparently he's not so good."

"Sorry." Andie patted the side of his cheek.

"Where's my sandwich?" Cass screamed and sprang up off the floor.

Andie jumped. "Relax, Twitchy, and take down the yelling a couple of pegs, would you?"

Cass craned her neck and yawned. "Did I sleep on the floor or did you push me again?"

Andie gave her a look. "I think you know the answer to that." Her friend responded by smacking her sharply on the ass. "Ow!" Andie felt like she'd sat on an electric fence. "Dammit, you shocked me. I thought you had that thing under control."

Cass grinned smugly. "I do."

"Oh, you are just the worst kind of person." Andie grumbled.

"Cass, you staying for lunch?" Dean asked as he heaved Andie to her feet.

"I shouldn't, I have to get Luka his truck back," She yanked the messy knot out of her hair and tied it up in a smarter ponytail. "Otherwise I would stay and cook you something."

"No!" Andie's shrill voice rang through the room. "Do not let her cook for you." She warned Dean. "Last time she made me something I had to call Poison Control."

Cass pouted. "It is _not_ my fault that rat poison looks like mint flakes, ok? And the cutie doctor sang Happy Birthday to you so I don't know why you're complaining."

Andie stuck her hands on her hips. "Maybe it's my aversion to having my stomach pumped."

"Ladies; cool it, would you?" Dean stood between them. "Diner down the road, we'll go there. Gotta tell you about the new case, anyway." He patted her hip as he walked by her, ignoring the unimpressed look she was giving him.

"Well, tell Sam I say hi... and then bye." Cass gathered up her things and waved to Dean. Andie said she'd walk her out and followed her downstairs to Luka's old truck.

"Oh, my God, you have to tell him." Cass said when they were out of earshot. "You're lucky I didn't scream out "Andie's knocked up!" in my sleep!"

"Cass, you can't say _anything_ to him, ok? You promised."

"Alright, alright," She huffed and climbed into the drivers' seat. "Can I tell Luka?"

Andie slammed the door shut. "No!" She said firmly through the open window.

"What about Ellie? And Castiel, hm?" She locked in her seat belt. "How much do you wanna bet at least one of them already knows? Ellie would keep your secret, but Castiel? I don't think he'd understand the meaning of the word."

"What's your point?"

"Get him on your side or else he's gonna tell Dean before you get the chance to." She blew an air kiss at her friend. "I love you."

"Bye." Andie waited for Cass to reversed, almost taking out the trash cans, and clip onto the road before she took a deep breath and wandered back inside.

Cass was right about Castiel, he was a bit of a loose cannon. If he knew about her baby; he would very likely just blurt it out without realizing the impact it would have. Maybe he didn't know... she'd seen him more than a few times these last two months and he hadn't said anything... and then there was Ellie. Definitely closer to her human side than her angelic one, Ellie was a definite wildcard, and she often knew more about Andie than Andie did herself. _Crap, I hate dealing with stuff..._

**xxx**

As Dean, Andie and Sam wandered down the road to the diner, the boys informed her of the new case. It involved their old baby-sitter, Donna, and her house. It was apparently haunted by a poltergeist that was terrorizing her daughter and husband, it even scratched 'murdered chylde' into her daughter's stomach. Donna knew of Sam and Dean's demon hunting professions so she called them right away. Dean had managed to convince her and her family to take a vacation while they cleared it out, but to do so they had to research the house which is what Sam set himself up to do at the diner. While he tapped away at his laptop, Andie and Dean went to order food.

The teenager behind the counter, Gary as his nametag read, passed them their order and relayed it to them with a bored voice. "Uh, two bacon burger turbos, two large chili-cheese fries, and, a Health Quake Salad shake?" he raised his eyebrows at Dean.

"Yeah, I know," Dean nodded in agreement. "But it's not for me."

"Oh, right..." His eyes darted to Andie, a move which she saw and took great offence.

"It's not mine, _boy_, it's for the nerd at the laptop," She jabbed her thumb towards Sam. "Believe me, salad is _not_ food."

Dean smirked. "Don't take it personally kid, she feels the same way about light beer."

"It's _not_ beer." Andie confirmed.

"See?" Dean took his change. "Thanks."

"Oh, you shake it up baby," Dean quipped to his brother when he got a hold of his salad shake. "You know, poltergeist aside, Donna looked pretty good, don't you think?"

Sam laughed. "Dude, don't tell me you've still got the hots for our babysitter."

"What? No, that's weird. I'm just saying that she, you know, she's doing good. "You know, with her husband, her kid." He shoved some fries into his mouth. "This whole Amityville thing being thrown at them, and they're hanging tough. You ever think that you'd want something like that?" Andie shot him a Look. "Wife, rugrats, the whole nine?"

"Why are you asking me, out of the blue like that?" Andie said a little too fast. _Does he know? How could he know? Did Cass squeal? That bitch! I'll kill her..._

Dean gave her a blank look. "Naw, I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying." Andie cut in and pushed her food aside. "I'm going to the bathroom." She hurried off. "And I _have _a wife." She tossed over her shoulder.

"She mean Cass?" Dean asked his brother, who was still heavily ensconced in his research.

"She means you."

Dean gave him a fake grin. "What did you find?"

"A legend." Sam continued. "Supposedly, in the 1720s, the house was owned by a guy named Isaiah Pickett. Legend has it he hung a woman in his backyard for witchcraft, a woman named Maggie Briggs.

"Angry ghost witch?"

Sam nodded. "If it's true. But it still doesn't explain what "murdered Chylde" means..."

"No, or where the bitch is buried."

Sam sighed. "You know, I mean, it's a long way back, but I can see if I can find something in the town records."

Dean frowned. "It's worth a shot."

In the ladies room, Andie first made sure she was alone and then hit the speed dial for Cass's number, her friend answered on the second ring. "Cass! I am freaking out here, did you tell Dean anything?"

"What, no, course not, why?"

"'Cos he's talking about settling down and having kids and-and something called 'the whole nine'! What the hell is that?" Andie had to force herself to keep her voice down. "I am going to kick your ass into last week if you said _anything _to him-"

"Ok, wow, you are obviously _highly_ hormonal, which, by the way I've been reading up on and is totally normal for preggo's'-"

"Screw you."

"-so I think the best thing for me to do is hang up and let you call back when you calm down."

"Cass! Cass! Don't you _dare_ send this to voicemail!" The line was already dead. "Oh, she _knew_ I could kick her ass." Andie growled and shoved her phone back in her pocket. She leant against one of the basins and caught her breath. "Ok, keep it together," She told her worried reflection. "He doesn't know anything..." She repeated that sentence a few times, stamping it into her mind. Her stomach was in all sorts of knots; although now she realized that all the twinges and cramps she'd been feeling were probably more to do with the baby than anything supernatural. There was no 'easy' or 'good' way to tell Dean about this... and a random comment that he might one day want a family wasn't enough to calm her down.

"Andie."

"Son of a whore!" Andie jumped a mile when Castiel appeared behind her reflection.

"I'm glad to see you're better."

Andie narrowed her eyes at him. "That's what you came to say?"

"I couldn't get away until now; your Grandmother sent me."

"You're not here about the baby...?"

"What baby?" He asked, his face confused, and then it returned to its normal expression. "Are you pregnant?"

Andie felt her lip quivering nervously. "You can't tell Dean." She whispered. "Please, Cas, I just found out and I don't know what to say to him and I'm freaking out here, I just... I need some more time. Please, _please_ promise me you won't tell him?"

Castiel let out a low breath, mulling over her request with furious intensity. "I understand your trepidation... Dean is not one who adjusts well." He straightened up a little. "I won't tell anyone. But you should."

Andie nodded automatically and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. I will."

Castiel eyed her with concern. "This is dangerous for you..." He said. "I can sense the power in you..."

"I guess I'm not the one getting stronger."

"I am not equipped for these circumstances." Castiel admitted. "But I will do what I can for you."

Andie closed her eyes, and felt the first relief she'd felt in three days. "Thank you..." But, of course, he was already gone. Smirking, she splashed cool water on her face, collected herself and went back out to finish her lunch, thinking that this overwhelming urge to eat might actually be something she could get used to.

**xxx**


	17. Revolution

**Chapter 17**

_Revolution_

It was as if the universe was conspiring against her.

Sam volunteered to research the town records on his own, leaving Dean and Andie with nothing to do but hang out in the hotel room and reload and clean all their weapons. They were alone; Andie could tell him now that she was pregnant... but she couldn't actually form the words.

Dean stifled a yawn and took out his phone, wondering aloud what was keeping his brother, it was heading into the afternoon; he should have been back by now. "You want a beer?" Dean asked Andie as he held the phone to his ear.

"Yeah." She replied absentmindedly. "No!" She corrected herself. Dean gave her an odd look. "I-I think that batch is bad; I had some before and it made me sick." She lied. She had thrown up that morning - oh the joys of early pregnancy - so thankfully Dean believed her, but that didn't stop him from taking a beer for himself.

"Sam's not answering..." Dean pocketed his phone and snapped of his beer cap.

"I'm sure he's fine," Andie replied vaguely as her own phone buzzed from the nightstand. "That's probably him." She said as she checked the text message. It was from Cassidy. _Did you know your baby is just starting to grow eyelids now?_ Andie swore to herself in response and immediately hit delete. "Cass." She explained to Dean.

"I'm gonna go looking for him..." Dean said, grabbing his coat off the bed. "You wanna stay here in case he comes back?"

Andie was grateful for the alone time. "Yep, sure." She smiled at him as he left and then exhaled loudly and flopped onto the bed. Keeping a secret was hard.

About ten minutes later as Andie was leaving the bathroom after a shower, Sam came into the motel. She caught him staring at himself in the mirror, and she could've sworn he was flexing his muscles. "Are you okay? Dean was worried sick about you, Sam."

"Yeah... I'm good." He held up a white paper bag with the logo of the diner they'd been to earlier that day stamped on it. "Food."

"Oh, good." She reached for it.

"Ah, we should probably eat on the run..." Sam muttered and nodded to the bed where their selection of weapons was still laid out. "Maid came in and saw that..."

"You let the maid in?" Andie almost smacked him. "We _never _let the maid in."

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"Sam!" Dean cried out, entering the motel room. "Where've you been, man?"

"Food." Andie answered for him as she grabbed her bag, thankful she hadn't bothered unpacking this time. "We gotta move, your genius of a brother let the maid in."

"Yeah, and they're all starting to freak out..." Sam added.

Dean gave him an odd look. "Ok... let's pack up and go."

Sam was already shouldering his bag. "I'll be outside."

Andie watched him leave with a puzzled look on her face. "He's a strange boy." She muttered as she shoved her jeans into her bag.

It got a tad stranger. Sam wanted to drive, so Dean gave up the seat, and then Sam backed into a row of dumpsters even though Dean was pointing out the gearstick was in reverse. Before they'd even left the parking lot; Dean was in the driver's seat and Andie banished Sam into the back.

They drove slightly out of town and booked into another hotel room. After dropping off their bags, they set to work. At least, Dean and Andie did, Sam was a little slow on the uptake. "So, uh, where we going, anyway?" He asked as the trio ambled back to the Impala.

"To work." Andie nudged him sharply. "The case?"

"Oh, right. yeah - the case." Sam smacked his forehead. "Of course. Where, uh, do you want to start?"

"Well, since you couldn't find where Maggie Briggs was buried, now we have to do an all-day tombstone roll to see if we can dig her up." Dean fished his keys from his pocket.

"Wait. Maggie Briggs?" Sam repeated like it was the first time he'd heard the name. "You mean, like - like, the witch Maggie Briggs?"

"Yeah, Sherlock." Dean deadpanned.

"Yeah, she's in the basement." Sam said with a wry half-grin.

Andie's eyebrows were way up in her hairline. "Come again?"

"What basement?"

"Isaiah Pickett's house." Dean and Andie just stared at him, mouths slightly agape. "Okay, there's this legend that he hung her, but he didn't. The real truth is that she was carrying his illegitimate child, and he killed her and then buried her in the basement."

"_Murdered Chylde_..." Dean remembered the scars on the young girls stomach. "That would explain the scratches."

"How do you know all this?" Andie was not happy at all the baby flags surrounding this case. Universe. Conspiracy. Andie not happy.

"Oh, I've done all kinds of research on it." Sam said with a grin. "Last night."

"Nice work...I guess." Dean muttered and climbed into the car.

Sam tried to get in the front seat, but Andie held him back. "What are you doing? I called shotgun."

"Your shotgun is voided if you get out of the car at any time."

Andie gave him a sour look. "Like hell; get in the back."

"No."

Angrily, Andie pointed at the back door and opened it with her power. It opened so fast it almost smacked her in the thigh, but it had the desired effect. Sam jumped a mile and scrambled into the back seat.

"You're mean." He grumbled, his eyes uncharacteristically wide, almost like he'd seen something bizarre.

"I'm Andie." She retorted. "One in the same; don't forget that, Sammy."

"You tell him, honey." Dean smiled proudly at her and kicked the engine to life.

Andie gave him a tense smile, wondering why Sam hadn't scolded her for cutening his name, when the tape-deck roared one of Andie's most disliked tracks in Dean's ancient collection, Bob Segar's _Rock And Roll Never Forgets. _She groaned and went to turn it off, when Sam piped up from the back to increase the volume, to Dean's obvious shock. Two against one, the song was turned up with Sam singing along in the back seat. He never sang along, and he shared Andie's distaste of Bob Segar... normally, anyway.

They drove to Isaiah Pickett's house and waited until the coast was clear, then the trio headed for the basement. Sam handed Andie a weapon, to which she declined. She rarely used a weapon, and if she did it was never a shotgun like what Sam was handing her, it was a pretty, silver pistol. Trying to shake off the creepy feeling she was getting as some weird hormone thing, Andie focused on the ghost they were set to kill rather than Sam acting weird.

The basement had an outside entrance, like a storm shelter, and with a flick of Andie's wrist, it was unlocked. They head downstairs, Dean in the lead, Andie in the middle and Sam bringing up the rear, that was until he broke to the front and hollered. "Boo-yah! Master chief is in the house, bizatches!"

Andie stared at him. "Number one, it's _bi_-atches, and number two, you never say stuff like that..."

Dean gave his brother a similarly odd look. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Fine." Sam replied, in his normal voice.

"Well, I'll be damned." Dean was inspecting a moist patch of earth on the ground. "Willow moss."

"Right!" Sam exclaimed. "It's, uh, supposed to grow over witches' graves, right?"

Dean looked at his brother; duh, of course it was. He knew that. "Yeah!"

Andie passed Dean his bag. "Get digging." She smirked. There were few things she loved more than seeing Dean work up a sweat digging a hole; it stirred some primal reaction in her.

"Hey, man, I'm really sorry about this." Sam said quietly.

"Sorry about what?"

Andie glanced to him, and a shock ran through her. Sam was aiming his shotgun at his brother. "No!" She sent Sam flying backwards off his feet.

"Sam!" Dean rushed to his aide.

"Dean, no, he had a gun on you!" Andie yelled, but then her face bit the dirt as some invisible force swept her off her feet.

"You okay?" Dean made his way to her, but his path became blocked when the flickering image of a woman's ghost appeared before him.

Sam sprang to his feet. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Wait, wait, wait we still got to burn the body, you idiot." Dean reached for Andie. "Come on," And then he was knocked off his feet just like Andie was. By the time he got himself standing again, the ghost woman was approaching him with menacing anger in her eyes.

And then she was gone; disappeared in a fiery puff of ash and smoke. Sam's eyes were sparkling as he stood over the witches bones, a bottle of lighter fluid dangling between his fingers. "Dude, that was sweet!"

**xxx**

Dean didn't believe Andie, and that annoyed her, until Sam managed to convince her, too, that he hadn't been aiming the gun at Dean; but at the ghost. She was still on edge, and the twinge in her stomach didn't go away, but she was forced to keep her thoughts to herself while Dean indulged in his usual post-successful-hunt ritual of eating a bucket load of fried food and doing shots of alcohol.

Andie avoided the round of tequila by spitting it into the beer bottle she'd ordered just to keep up appearances. She didn't need Dean thinking she was odd as well as Sam.

Dean knew there was something off about his brother, but he wasn't putting too much stock in it. They were barrelling towards the apocalypse and Sam was the chosen vessel for Lucifer. Maybe he was just having a day when all that crept up on top of him. The weirdness was capped off when his brother echoed the same order of a cheeseburger with extra bacon and a fried egg on top.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with Sam?" Dean raised his eyebrows, and then smirked. "Bacon cheeseburgers now?"

Sam sighed, in apparent relief. "I eat 'em, don't I? Anyways, we are celebrating."

Dean frowned and nodded. "Yeah, I guess." He lifted up a shot of tequila. "Nice work today. Another one bites the dust." The trio clinked their shot glasses and all downed the alcohol.

Andie spat the tequila into her beer bottle, which she'd switched with Sam's when he went to the bathroom so it at least _looked_ like she was drinking.

"I had a, uh, really awesome day, man." Sam muttered, his words were starting to slur. "Seriously." He took another shot. "Whoo! Sweet!"

"A really awesome day?" Dean repeated

"Yeah. Why not?"

"It was a random, d-list ghost hunt." Andie reminded him. "Boring. We were out of there in ten minutes. That's awesome to you?"

Sam looked put -off. "I can't be in a good mood?"

"Yeah, I guess." Dean lifted a fresh shot to his lips, and then lowered it. "No, actually. It's not really your style, Sam."

Sam grinned widely and held out his arms. "Well, then, it's a new me. I mean, come on. Why shouldn't I be happy? I've got a gun," He mimed holding a huge shotgun in his hands. "I'm getting drunk, and I look like this." He pointed to his face, and then seemed to realize what he was doing and gathered himself. "I dunno... you ever feel like your whole future is being decided for you?"

"Uh, yeah, Sam, I feel like that a lot." Dean replied pointedly.

"No matter how much you fight it, you can't stop the plan." Sam was talking into his drink now. "The stupid, stupid plan... I dunno... I guess it's, uh, it's just nice to do a little ass-kicking for a change, that's all." He became very aware of the Looks he was getting from both people at the table. "Uh, you know what? I'm _drunk_." He chuckled quite merrily. "Sorry. Just forget it."

"No, no," Dean filled another shot for all three of them. "I'll drink to that."

Again they all clinked glasses, and Andie sent another load down into her bottle.

"Wow, you know, is it just me, or are we actually drinking together?" Dean scoffed a little.

Sam chuckled. "We don't do it that often, huh?"

"_You_ don't." Andie said with a smile. Drunk Sam was Fun Sam.

"Well, we should." Sam pointed a shaky finger at him. "You're a good guy, Dean."

"Man, you are drunk."

An overwhelming smell of bacon grease entered Andie's nostrils as the waitress set the two plates of oily food in front of the boys. "You sure you don't want anything, hon?" She asked Andie.

"No, I'm good."

"You're not eating?" Dean asked as he got a good grip on his burger.

His grotesque eating always turned her off. "I'm okay." She stifled a giggle as he smeared mustard over his chin.

"Mmm!" Sam moaned in pleasure as he bit into his burger. "The bread alone!"

Andie ate fries off of Sam's plate like always, Dean wasn't too fond of sharing food, and continued "joining in" with their shots. After he'd finished eating, Sam – full of liquid confidence – left the table as a gorgeous, middle-aged blonde woman sat at the bar. So again, Andie was alone with Dean, and he still had mustard on his face.

"Why do you eat like that," She smirked and wet her thumb on her tongue, and then cleaned his cheek. "One day you're gonna choke, you know. You eat like a pig... no, wait, pigs tend to chew... you eat more like a duck."

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you _talking_ about?"

She laughed. "I don't know. Hey, are you crazy about me?"

"You make me crazy; does that count?" Dean grinned as he held his beer to his lips.

"Yep." She scrunched her nose up at him and smiled; but her smile faded when she saw Sam leaving the bar; _with_ the blonde. Andie's stunned expression was mirrored by Dean when he followed her line of sight.

"We're gonna do it!" Sam whispered loudly – and excitedly – to Dean and Andie as he trailed through the door after the woman.

Dean turned back to Andie, his face still registering the shock and confusion of his brother's behaviour. The second he locked eyes with Andie, she verbalized his fear.

"That's not Sam."

**xxx**

Andie and Dean were used to stalking people; just not Sam. He was easy enough to follow; because he _wasn't_ Sam and therefore didn't have his intelligence. A blind person would have been able to follow him. He went home with the woman, and afterwards stumbled back to the motel where Dean and Andie were waiting outside.

"Who the hell is he?" Dean growled under his breath as Pseudo-Sam entered the motel room.

"And why Sam? Why not you? You're the better one."

"I know, right?" Dean shook his head in disbelief and crept towards their motel door. The lights were off, "Sam" had left the door ajar so Dean was able to sneak in under cover of the shadows, and he knocked "Sam" out with one clear punch. "You're not my brother." He snarled, and then hit him again for good measure.

Andie grabbed some rope from the Impala and secured Pseudo-Sam to a dining chair while Dean checked all of his other phones messages. There were 38 from Sam; all screaming that the guy with them was not him interspersed with angry jabs about not checking his voicemail.

Dean smacked "Sam" across the face a few times to wake him up. "All right, pal. Either you start talking or we start water boarding."

"Oh, my god!" He started crying. "Please, don't hurt me. Please! I'm sorry! I'm so, _so_ sorry!"

Dean and Andie exchanged a look; they were both trying not to laugh at the kid. "Hey, pull it together, champ." Dean clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want to die. I don't want to die." "Sam" wailed.

Andie rolled her eyes. "Where's Sam?"

"In my - my friend's basement." He stammered. "His parents are out of town."

"Parents?" Dean eyed his brother, as much as he _looked_ like Sam it was as obvious as ever right now that he wasn't Dean's brother; Sam wasn't this weak. "How old are you?"

"17."

"17?" Dean repeated, turning to Andie in time to see a woman creeping up behind her; but before he could scream a warning both he and Andie were uprooted and slammed against the same wall of the motel, both landing heavily against the tiled floor of the kitchen.

Pseudo-Sam eyed the attacker. "Nora?"

Her eyes blackened. "Not at the moment." She snarled.

Andie scrambled to her feet, having to step over Dean who was out cold, waving her hand at the demon. Nora smacked so heavily against the wall she left a dent, but she wasn't at all hurt. She looked up at Andie from the floor, grinning a bloody, toothy grin, and flicked her fingers at Andie's ankles, sweeping her off her toes, and smacking her forehead against the coffee table in her fall.

What annoyed her more than not being able to get up was that she could hear everything going on around her. Dean's grunts as Nora kicked the crap out of him, "Sam's" stumbling over sentences that sounded almost like an exorcism, and the demon's cries of anger when she caught on to what they were doing. The exorcism spell was running through Andie's mind in two voices, Sam's and Dean's, it took her a moment to realize they were successfully killing the bitch. Damn head injuries, they always made her fuzzy.

As her head cleared, similar to the smoke of the demon, Andie became aware of a sharp ache in her left thigh. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," She grimaced and pulled the obstruction out of her thigh. It was a fork. "Ow." She tossed it aside. "I've never landed on a fork before... it's not as much fun as I thought it would be."

The next hour set things back to normal. They found the real Sam, who was housed in the body of Gary, the nerdy counter boy from the diner, and the real Sam worked a spell to switch them back. It was funny to Andie that, even though Gary wasn't his brother, Dean sort of treated him like one, telling him to drop the satanic crap and straighten up. She wasn't used to seeing Dean that way with someone other than Sam. It was nice, in a way... it was also kind of freaky and she wasn't sure why.

Dean drove a shaky Nora and sheepish Gary back to his parents home, where Sam gave him a good serving just like Dean had, telling him his life wasn't that bad, and to change things up a little if he wanted something different. She was sure it was paranoia, or just the fact that she had babies on the brain and that was what kept her tying everything back to herself.

"Hey," She called to Gary as he departed. "Do you really think I'm mean?"

"Ah... yeah..." He said. "Plus you kinda look like the demon that guards the tomb in Tomb Raider."

Andie was kind of chuffed to hear that. "Ok, then."

The trio climbed back into the car, Andie was happy enough to let Sam ride shotgun, and then they took off, but not before Sam chided his brother's taste in music; like normal. But Dean's expression was not as relieved as Andie's was. Post Sam's speech to Gary about wishing he had his life, Sam laughed and told Dean and Andie he was lying, that the kid's life was horrible. And Dean's face hadn't unclenched since.

**xxx**


	18. The Word

*Note - I had three separate people ask me if I could write more of Cass and Andie's backstory together; how they became what they are now, so this chapter kinda starts that off, and there'll be more next chapter*

**Chapter 18**

_The Word_

Andie was running out of time and she knew it.

She'd first noticed the slight rise in her belly the week before; she thought she'd eaten too much, before remembering she hadn't eaten at all yet. It really freaked her out, this odd thing poking out of her abdomen. Her fitted shirts went straight to the bottom of her bag, she switched to her baggier, vintage tees and began the task of "borrowing" Dean's shirts every now and again. Although the more she thought about it; there would come a time when even Sam's gigantic shirts wouldn't disguise her bump.

Cass had started coming by every few days, and, while Andie loved the girl, she was wearing her thin. Any onlooker would think Cass was the pregnant one; she carried pregnancy books and always had a new fact about what Andie's baby was growing that week.

When she was well and truly into her third month, Cass surprised Andie with a book showing exactly what her baby looked like at 12 weeks. Andie was horrified. "Oh, God!" She squealed when she saw the image. "It looks like a bug... and an alien... what's wrong with its eyes?"

"Sometimes I forget you're twenty-eight," Cass growled. "You're acting like a child! And you're _carrying_ a child! Sick..."

"Stop yelling," Andie covered her friend's mouth. "What if Dean comes bursting in?"

Cass huffed. "How much longer do you think you can hide it, Andie?"

"I dunno... maybe... maybe I wait until after the baby is born, and then the _baby_ can tell him..." She sank heavily into the couch. "God, I'm delusional."

Cass fell onto the cushion beside her. "If it makes you feel any better, I can't tell you're pregnant."

Andie smiled gratefully. "It does. Thanks."

She suddenly sat up straight like a giddy five-year-old. "I had an idea of how you can tell Dean, wanna hear?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Ready? Cos this is genus." She cleared her throat. "Just. Frickin. Do. It."

Andie smacked a pillow across her face. "You're so unhelpful."

"I'm serious, Andie," Cass bundled the pillow up under her chin. "The longer you put it off the more pissed he's going to be."

"Dean with a baby, can you see it?" Andie shook her head. "No, I can't..."

"You _can_. And you know you can. It's not fair for you to have to do this all on your own; and you're killing me, you know."

"I didn't ask you to do all that-that research."

Cass gave her a knowing look. "If I didn't, who would? If it was up to you, you'd deny this for the whole nine months, even when couldn't fit behind the wheel of a car."

"God... I'm really going to get huge, aren't I?"

"Massive."

Andie looked down, her stomach just looked like she was breathing out and holding the breath. She still couldn't fathom that there was a little baby, a little Bug in there. Cass said she'd weigh half an ounce now; and that she wouldn't feel a kick until minimums eighteen weeks. Maybe _then_ it would sink in... but when Andie floated the idea of waiting until then to tell Dean, Cassidy just laughed and showed her another picture of a woman pregnant at eighteen weeks, her stomach looked like it had a football slipped underneath the skin. Even Dean would notice that.

Castiel had been somewhat of a saviour to Andie. He kept her secret, and his blank expression came in so handy when he talked to the group of them together, not once did he let on anything. And when they were alone, Castiel confirmed a few things Andie had been wondering about, it was the baby that had saved her life during her stint under the Qeres, it was the baby that made her more positive, and the baby that made her sensitive to Dean's injuries. From what he could tell, Andie would be completely safe up until the child's birth, as would the baby itself who had not sustained any injuries or effects from the demon hunting or drinking Andie had done without knowledge of her condition.

And Castiel, just like Cassidy, pressured her to tell Dean, and reminded her that she was running out of time. But funnily enough; she wasn't getting it from the one person she thought would be the most concerned; Ellie. Visibly thrilled at the prospect of a great-granddaughter, Ellie basically just did whatever Andie asked of her. Not once did she even suggest to tell Dean, resolving that when she was ready she'd tell him, or perhaps she counted on Castiel and Cassidy to convince Andie so she didn't have to be the bad cop.

The day Andie had to tell Dean came faster than she would've liked. He made a crack about her boobs getting bigger, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he noticed everything else growing, too. So with Cass's support via text message, Andie prepared herself to reveal her little secret.

An blissfully unaware Dean joined her in the motel room after filling up the car with gas. He noticed that she was pacing in that weird, disjointed way she did when something bothered her. And also in the way she greeted him when he came in.

"Hey, hi." She said with a shaken smile.

Dean smiled, but his eyes narrowed. "You okay? You look weird."

"Yeah, I'm fine... Sam?"

"Getting dinner... you sure you're alright, you're doing that thing where you pace..."

"Yeah, I just... I have to tell you something," Her heart was thumping so loud in her chest she expected it to plunge out of her skin at any second. "That I should've told you awhile ago..."

Dean furrowed his brow and nodded, sensing the urgency and importance in her tone. "Okay..."

She smiled nervously and dawdled a little in front of him; putting off the inevitable. "Well, we're, ah... we're..." He opened his eyes wide at her, expectantly. "We're going to have a baby." She said it quickly; but she knew he heard her because he didn't blink; for awhile. His gaze didn't shift either, even after Andie moved out of his eye line.

Dean's mouth was dry, and swallowing and coughing a few times didn't help. "You're... preg-pregnant?" he stammered, eyes still wide in disbelief.

Andie nodded. "Are... are you okay...?"

Dean started to nod his head, and then shake it back and forth, so it just ended up doing circles. "I... am... not..."

"Good. Neither am I." She fell back heavily into the couch. "At least we can freak out together."

"How, ah... how long?"

"Three months, pretty much on the dot. That's what the doctor told me..." She trailed off because she knew he'd know how long she'd been lying. _Bad reveal, Andie..._

"The doctor?" His voice started rising. "As in the one you saw a month ago?"

The next ten seconds was nothing more than uncomfortably dead silence.

"You've known for a month?" He was on his feet now. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why?" Did he really just ask her that? Did he not know how difficult he was? "Are you really asking me that?" Now she was on her feet, too. "I didn't know how to tell you! You're... you're _you_! I knew you'd react like this!""

"Why are you yelling?"

"Because I am _terrified_!" She laughed frantically. "Dean, in the future, this pregnancy is the countdown to my death; I died a month after this thing comes out!"

This statement seemed to anger Dean even more. "You're not going to die!"

"I know you think that but the reality is-"

"No, I _know_, Andie!" He cut in. "That poison, Qeres, that's what killed you in the future."

"No... no because you told me that..." And then the truth smacked her in the face. "Oh, great, he lied to me. _You_ lied to me, I should've guessed, it's what you do best!"

"Don't get mad at me, here, I was saving your life!"

"Well; fat lotta good it did!" She cried. "I died anyway! The baby brought me back!"

"The baby?"

"That's what Castiel said."

"Castiel knows? Who else knows?"

"Don't change the subject. You're avoiding the issue!"

"_I'm_ avoiding the issue?"

"We both are! We're _having_ a _baby_, Dean!"

That sentence hung there, stagnant and cutting, the truth was out now; and it hurt like hell. Unable to stop the tears from rushing to her eyes, Andie just left the motel room; not at all surprised when Dean didn't follow her.

Dean just stared after her; not even sure of what to do. His mind was foggy and spinning like mad; a kid? He was going to be a father? He'd basically raised Sam and that had been Hell, what with his father being on the road all the time. The one thing Dean had always wanted was that happy family, Mum, Dad and kids; but faced with the prospect of it, literally staring down the barrel of parenthood; was frightening.

**xxx**

Sam was the one who found Andie about an hour later, eating potato chips in the back of the Impala. "Hey..." He said through open the window. "Can I join you?"

Andie glared at him, but didn't oppose. He crammed himself into the back seat beside her. "So... a baby, huh?"

Andie cut a sideways glance at him. "That's how you broach the subject? You are so lame."

"You're sweet."

Andie gave him a weak smile. "Is Dean okay?"

"Well... no."

They both laughed. "I knew he wouldn't be." Andie sighed and leant her against the cushion.

"He'll get used to it." Andie just made a scoffing noise in response, and Sam noticed her eyes were wet. "Are you crying?"

"I don't know." She sniffled. "Apparently pregnant women get really hormonal. I hate crying, Sam – oh God, now I'm crying about hating to cry... this is messed up... and I've got six more months of this."

"Yeah... but Andie... look, I don't think it'll be as bad as you think." He sighed. "I know you're probably thinking about your mother, right?" She didn't look at him. "You won't be like-"

"I know." She interrupted. "I don't plan on killing myself... I just... a baby? Me? And Dean. Me and Dean with a baby; can you imagine? It's like a dodgy movie..."

Sam looped an arm around her back and rubbed her shoulder. "Yeah... it's gonna be tough." He conceded. "Good luck with that."

Andie slapped his chest.

There was a sharp rapping on the window. "Sammy, why don't you give us a minute, hm?"

Sam kissed Andie's forehead and climbed out of the car, his seat swiftly occupied by his older brother.

They sat there, similar poses, both sets of arms crossed, pursed lips and furrowed brows. "I may have reacted... unfavourably." Dean said after a few moments of silence. "Sam has a point... this is harder on you than it is me-"

"Thank you."

"-but it is a _huge_ bomb that you dropped on me, Morgan."

"And we're back to you."

"We're heading towards the apocalypse here, Andie."

"I know! It's the worst time to have a baby; I didn't ask for this – wow; now we sound like a dodgy after-school special..." she exhaled loudly. "God... we are so normal right now."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Hey... did you know right now the kid is like the size of a Nutter Butter?"

Andie looked at him; trying not to laugh but she couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Did you read Cass's baby book? I haven't even read it..."

He half-smirked and pulled the book from the inside of his jacket. "Yeah... she, ah, she marked parts for me... left it under my pillow. Did you see the picture?" He opened the book to the page with the 12 week photo on it. "The kid looks like a bug..."

"Oh, my God, that's what I called it!" Andie shoved him, and then clung to his arm. "Doesn't it look horrifying? It doesn't even look human..."

"And that's our baby..."

"Yeah..." Andie sighed and leant her head against his shoulder. "That's our Bug."

**xxx**

Life got better after that.

"Hey, Andie, the baby's eyes are sealed shut, how weird is that?"

"Weird." Andie agreed as she sorted through Dean's clothes for something to wear. Her clothes still fit, but they were starting to get clingy. And unless they were going out; she'd rather be comfortable.

Dean was slowly but steadily getting used to the idea, what worried Andie was that he was adjusting better than she was; and he'd known for so much less time than she had. He found the baby book fascinating, with all the pictures of what the baby, who they both now affectionately referred to as the Bug, with her tail and giant eyes.

Tomorrow would mark week 15 on the dot; now Andie knew people could tell she was pregnant. They looked at her with those weird over-smiles. All she wanted to do was hide it; eventually she couldn't any more but she hated the way she was now 'typecast' as this pregnant woman. So instead she threw herself into a new case they'd uncovered, involving Cass's friend, Zoe.

Luka had been the one to call the day before, saying Cass had gone hunting with Zoe and they'd uncovered something similar to the Blair Witch legend, but before Cass could tell Luka where she was, their phone connection cut out and he hadn't been able to get back in contact with her.

Andie could sense where Cassidy and Zoe where; and they were fine, just really, really lost. So she, Dean and Sam were headed after them. As they drove out of town, Andie thumbed through her mother's journal and stumbled across an old picture of her and Cassidy, _very _old; back when Cass had short, black hair. It had been taken that year they met, sometime after Daytona Beach. It was funny; they'd become almost instant friends after starting out as enemies. Andie had knocked Cass's teeth out after she'd hit her with an umbrella for making out with her boyfriend; and after Andie left Cass at the emergency room; she didn't think she would ever see her again...

**xxx**

_2002_

The air was freezing cold; Andie could see her breath as she jogged towards the abandoned warehouse ahead of her. She was on some farming land way out West of Illinois where locals had been complaining of seeing lights and hearing noises from the apparently empty building. Andie didn't think it was a ghost; but instead a demon who had moved in for one reason or another. Whatever it was; she was there to kill it.

Overly-confident, she hadn't even packed a weapon. She was telekinetic for Christ's sake; and no demon every expected it from her so it was as good as any shotgun she'd ever armed herself with.

The warehouse was silent and very still; barely creaking in the breeze. Andie snuck through the open back door and made her way inside using the moonlight streaming through the broken windows to guide her. It had been a saw mill of sorts back in the day; but now it was just rows of empty boxes and rusted machinery.

Andie saw the shadow before she heard the footsteps. It was up ahead; and whatever it was had spotted her, too. Ducking behind a corner, Andie held her breath as she heard the being approach her, slowing down slightly, the footsteps becoming lighter and more spaced apart. The rush of hunting Andie was addicted too surged through her veins as she waited for the demon to 'discover' her. She heard it breathing; faster than she would have expected, and then she heard a grunt as it lunged forward and swung around the corner to see Andie. She'd been expecting a demon grabbing for her; but instead spied a thick, lead pipe being swung in her direction. Andie grabbed the pipe in both hands when it was just inches for crushing her nose. The demon squealed, jumped back and put up its fists to fight her.

That's when the moonlight hit her face, and Andie spied two sparkling white front teeth, wide, round eyes and jet black hair. It was her. "Cassidy?" She thought she recalled the name correctly.

"Who are...?" Her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head when she got a good view of the supposed demon she'd tried to hit. "Aw, crap. Not you."

**xxx**


	19. Love You To

*A/N: More Cass/Andie, and some Castiel/Andie as a friend has been bugging me for :) And Zoe belongs to the forever lovely Frostpaw/hobbit!*  
*and btw the title of this chapter is not a typo, it's a Beatles song. For keen readers, you'll note all the chapter titles are Beatles songs*

**Chapter 19**

_Love You To  
_

_2002_

Andie grabbed Cass by the upper arm and forcibly removed her from the warehouse, much to the pipsqueak's insults and constant wriggling. Andie didn't let her go until they were beside Cass's old truck, which Andie could now see stashed behind a towering oak tree. "Ok; you have three seconds to tell me why I shouldn't kill you." She threatened her.

Cass raised her eyebrows. "Does anyone _buy_ this whole Lara Croft thing you've got going? To me, it's just _tired._"

"Do you know what's going on in there?" Andie pointed back to the warehouse. "Do you know what you walked into?"

"Yes!" Cass was quite put-off by her insinuation. "Run of the mill ghost haunting the place. I was trying to do my job and then you amble in all cocky-"

"You're a hunter?" She realized.

"Yeah; apparently so are you." Cass straightened her jacket and folded her arms. "Oh, by the way, new teeth." She gave Andie a toothy grin to show off her new, white caps. "Cost well over two grand. Nice job."

Andie rolled her eyes. "What, do you want money?"

Cass scoffed. "No. I didn't pay. Fake name, skipped on the bill. What do they know?" She smiled and then pointed an accusing finger towards her. "Last time I saw you, didn't we proclaim friendship?"

"Yeah, but you were doped up on painkillers and I think I was still drunk..."

"We didn't make-out, did we?"

Andie had to think for a moment. "No..."

"Oh, good. It's always hard to meet a one-night stand after the 'incident'." She laughed. "So, do you want to work on this thing together?" She nodded at the warehouse.

Andie smirked. "First; you were going to hit me with a _pipe_." She reminded her. "So, I'm guessing you're pretty new at this hunting thing. Second, I work alone. Third, piss off." Leaving it at that, Andie turned on her heel and headed back for the warehouse.

"Ohh... I get it." Cass jogged behind her. "You hunter. Me Jane. Yeah, that's not going to work for me. I've been hunting for three years now, ever since a vampire came at me when I was at a drive-in. Speaking of drive-ins, the one in town is playing _Village of the Damned_ in Spanish. Wanna go and laugh at the funny?"

Andie stopped in her tracks, and extended her arm out to the warehouse. "Ghost!" She reminded her.

Cass smacked her playfully. "_After_ we kill it, idiot."

Andie widened her eyes. "We. Are. Not. Doing. _Anything_." She said slowly; but firmly. "Ok, Crazy? I don't _know_ you, I don't _like_ you, and I sure as hell don't want to see a movie with you!" She hoped the girl would stay put, but nope. She trailed after her once more.

"This drive-in is good, it has chilli fries."

Andie grabbed Cass's sleeve and yanked her to a stop. "I'm going to murder you."

"Fine." She gave her a sour look. "I'll just come back as a spirit and haunt you." Her sneer broke into a smile. "Oh my God, it'll be like in _Ghost_ when Patrick Swayze keeps Whoopi up by singing." She laughed. "Do you know _I'm Henry The Eighth, I Am_?"

Andie just stared at her, mouth agape. "Are you having a stroke?"

"What? Because I'm not running away crying at your little act, here?" Cassidy scoffed again. "Please. My mother shows strangers her hysterectomy scar – I have a high threshold for freakiness, and even though you definitely rate a nine-point-oh on my Weird Shit-O-Meter, it'll take more than all this," She waggled a finger up and down Andie's body. "To send me away."

Andie searched for a retort, but couldn't find one. "Fuck you..." She muttered under her breath.

"Love you, too, babe." Cass smiled in victory. "Now," She saluted at the warehouse. "We hunt!"

**xxx**

_2010_

Andie couldn't remember the last time she'd been in Salem. Cassidy had an apartment here, willed to her by her late grandfather, but she didn't like it all that much, the building was full of elderly people that really cramped Cass's style. But she kept it; it came in handy if she ever needed a place to stay. And it was there, that Andie, Sam and Dean found Luka. Andie was just going to check on him before they set off to look for Cass and Zoe, and make sure he was alright.

"Luka?" Andie knocked as she pushed open the door. Luka waved at her from the couch. He was surrounded by empty bowls, cans and take-away bags, and he looked sick as a dog. "What are you doing?"

"The fridge broke; I had to eat everything." He explained.

Andie just stared at him. "Wow... suddenly you and Cass make so much sense." She shifted some Chinese food containers and sat in the moth-eaten La-Z-Boy. "You ate everything?"

"Yeah. Ice-cream, leftovers, sauce." He pushed aside an empty container. "Hey, do you happen to know what was in that green can?"

Andie raised her eyebrows. "That's still in there?"

He belched. "Not anymore."

"I'm guessing she hasn't come back yet." Andie deduced.

Luka shook his head and started to clear things up. "I think she lied about where she was going." He revealed. "I told her I didn't want her and Zoe to go out there, she didn't listen."

"Did you tell her _why_ you didn't want her to go? Cass usually responds to honesty. She doesn't often use it; but she responds to it. Hell; I knocked out her teeth and we're still best friends, and she's way more into me than she is you."

"I don't want her to get hurt." He took two sodas from the icebox on the bench and tossed her one. "Cass told me about your baby – congrats, by the way."

Andie waved a hand at him dismissively. "Yeah, yeah – what do you mean you don't want her to get hurt? She's a hunter, Luka."

"I know," He scowled and fell back into the couch. "But it's like she doesn't want to let me in to that part of her life. I could help, y'know, demons and stuff don't freak me out anymore."

"Yeah, she has that effect on men..." Andie murmured. "Look, I am the _last _person you should be talking to about relationships. But Cass? Cass, I know. And I know she loves you. And she has never loved anybody like she loves you." He seemed slightly pleased, but still concerned. "Don't worry." Andie stood and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I brought her back from the dead once, I can do it again." She laughed lightly, but stopped short when Luka froze mid-drink. The smile lingered on Andie's face. "She didn't tell you about that, did she?"

He shook his head.

"Yeah, I'll call you when I find her." Andie fled the apartment, and the situation, and hurried back down to the Impala. "We should leave, I freaked him out."

"I'm not surprised to hear you say that anymore." Dean mumbled with a smirk as he kick-started the engine.

"Explain something to me," Sam twisted in his seat to face her as they set off. "You know where Cass is but you can't find her?"

"Nooo," Andie lengthened the word. "I _can_ find her, but she's safe. So is Zoe. And if they're safe, then I shouldn't freak out."

"So it doesn't bother you that neither of them are answering their phones?"

"Maybe they're underground. And Cass is forever keeping hers on silent." She rolled her eyes and rolled her head back against the pillow, suddenly feeling queasy.

"Cass always lets you know when she needs you-"

"And she _hasn't _called so she's fine."

"Sammy, don't poke the bear." Dean warned. He glanced at Andie in his mirror. "Baby, you look green..."

"Yeah, pull over." Andie's stomach churned. "I'm gonna throw up."

"Well, can you hold it? There's a gas station up ahead-"

Andie snatched the shoulder of his jacket between her fingers. "Pull over or I am yakking back here and I will _not_ be kind to where I aim it!"

The Impala screeched to a halt, Andie escaping from the back seat just as the bile propelled from her mouth onto the side of the road.

"You alright?" Dean called as he exited the car.

Andie gave him a thumbs up and hung her head, glad she had chosen a ponytail today.

"I thought morning sickness was supposed to happen, y'know... in the morning..." Sam said unhelpfully as the afternoon sun peeked over the horizon.

Andie turned her thumbs up into a middle finger and aimed it at him.

**xxx**

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi..." Zoe recited as she paced back and forth in the dimly lit cavern.

"Would you stop that?" Cassidy warned her. "I thought you'd stopped your crazy counting?"

"I had," Zoe said defensively. "It flares up when I'm caged..."

"We are not caged." Cass assured her. "We are stuck..."

It wasn't all as bad as it seemed. They were stuck, but they were safe. The demon that had lured them, and trapped them, was dead. Cassidy had flexed her newfound electrokinesis and fried the son of a bitch back to hell. The demon flickered back to hell, but the host body was still there, bundle up in a corner covered in whatever Cass and Zoe could find to keep the stench at bay. They'd already saved the day, no their problem was getting out.

"What good is your sensing demons thing if it gets us stuck?" Cass whined.

"Oh, shut up! Man, I can't believe I might die here with you." She plonked her butt on the cement beside Cass and they both sighed in unison.

"I hope Luka didn't eat all that crap in the fridge..." Cass mused a moment later.

"Oh, he does that," Zoe laughed and rolled her eyes. "He doesn't like to waste anything. I love that apartment, by the way, why don't you hang out there more?"

"Well, Mrs Fieldmen next door had, at last count, 12 cats, all of which wander into my place if God forbid I leave the door open. Mr and Mrs Smith are not as fun as their names would suggest; their favourite game is either Mah-Jong or Who Can We Bore To Death With Our Stories That Have No Ending; and did I mention the landlord, Rex? When he's not staring at my chest he's trying to scam me with the latest fad he's gotten sucked into. Last one was elevator insurance."

Zoe pinched her arm skin. "A simple "I don't like it" would suffice." She smirked. Cass elbowed her in the side, but Zoe dodged her. "Well, if you hate it why keep it?"

"It's real estate." Cass said pointedly. "Duh."

Zoe nervously flexed her fingers until her knuckled cracked. "Can't you alert Andie, or something?"

"Our phones are dead, and we're not telepathic."

"Still; you two are joined at the un-hip, and you said she's like hyper-pregnant-sensitive..."

"I'm not in danger; she wouldn't know something's wrong unless I'm hurt." Cass didn't even bother to look at Zoe to know what she had in mind. "Touch me and I'll shock you into oblivion."

"I'm so glad we found each other." Zoe muttered sardonically.

"Wanna sing some-"

"No." Zoe cut her off, and then they both laughed.

**xxx**

Dean had pulled into the gas station up ahead after Andie made it back into the car, and they had ordered food but soon after it arrived, Andie fled to the bathroom again. Dean took up the task of wolfing down his meal quickly so she wouldn't get sick when she came back.

"Should I be keeping track of stuff she can't eat?" A clueless Dean asked his brother.

"How should I know? I thought pregnant women ate a lot..." Sam replied.

"In case you are wondering," Andie announced as she returned. "I no longer eat bacon." She sat beside Sam since he was closer to finishing his meal than Dean. "Crap, I haven't thrown up in weeks now twice in one day?"

"Oh, are you pregnant, hun?" The waitress said as she set some drinks on the table.

"Yeah."

"Good luck, I threw up all nine months with all three of my boys." She smiled.

"Do you think you're helping me?" Andie snapped at her. Soured, the waitress left in a huff. Andie leant her cheek in her hand against the table. "God, I'm gonna get more and more strangers talking to me as this goes on, aren't I?"

"Might be a good time to get over your social inabilities?" He half-choked on his food when he saw the glare she was giving him. "Or do nothing because, y'know, you're perfection. I love you."

Andie burst out in a cackle of laughter. "Jeez, how whipped are you?"

And in a blink; they were gone. Everyone. Andie was standing in a small home library of sorts. Very organized, but very old, Castiel was standing before her, apologizing for pulling her away.

"You nabbed me right out of a diner?" Andie said in disbelief. "What if someone saw?"

"No one did." Castiel replied. "Zoe and Cassidy are downstairs. They're stuck; but fine as you know."

Andie's brow furrowed in confusion; she didn't know what question to ask first, so she asked all of them. "Where are we? Why did you bring me here? Are the guys ok?"

"This house used to be owned my Eric Mainaird; he was possessed by a demon. Cassidy and Zoe took care of him; but found themselves stuck in his sealed basement. And Sam and Dean are fine; if not bemused."

"You didn't just bring me here to get Cass and Zoe." Andie sniped.

"You need my help."

"I hate when you do that." Andie let out a groan; he was so flippant and random. "I'm assuming this has something to do with the Bug? I mean- my baby?"

"Yes. The increased vomiting is just the start."

"Yeah, I know. Cass sent me a list of wonderful ailments that are going to take me over."

"I mean for you. A pregnant Angel? It's unheard of; there is no precedent."

"What about Ellie?"

"She was made an angel after she gave birth to your mother."

"Please don't tell me you're bringing Lily into this?" Andie's heart started racing, she was not ready to see her mother again.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. She's crossed over; it's difficult to find them once they're at peace. Not impossible, but difficult."

Andie felt an odd pang in her heart when he said that; she was at peace? After abandoning her child? "So, what, are you going to be some sort of angelic birthing coach?" She had a sudden flash of Castiel helping her through contractions whilst in labour; it made her laugh, on the inside.

"Moreso I'm going to help with your powers. They're tied to your emotions, which are going to become more and more erratic, there's no telling what might happen. You could severely hurt people with a mere blink of your eyes."

"As cool as that sounds, right now I just feel sick. Do you know anything to help that?"

He thought a moment. "Crackers?"

"You're useless." Andie grumbled. "And we already tried that training before, it didn't take too well if you remember."

"You were emotionally exhausted." Castiel reminded her. "Cassidy was gone; you weren't thinking clearly."

"You just told me that I'm going to be _more_ erratic. For someone who is known as erratic, that's concerning in itself. You don't think I'm always emotionally exhausted? I have issues so deep you can see them on my bones." She snorted. "I'm always going to be crazy, Castiel."

"I never said you wouldn't be."

Andie gave him a wry look. "Are you trying to be funny?"

"I am."

Andie cracked a smile. "Ok, then."

"I think I can also provide you with information on how to deal with your daughter once she's born." Castiel continued, no smile at all evident on his face.

"How?"

"Though my knowledge of pregnancy is limited, my knowledge of angelic powers is quite vast. And going by your family line, your daughter will be more powerful than you as you were after your mother, and she after hers. An infant with angelic abilities will be coveted by _everything_ supernatural."

"My kid's not even born and she has a bounty over her head?"

"So far your condition has not reached the demon world yet." He eyed her stomach. "But that is only a matter of time. Once word is out that there will be baby born of Michael's vessel and a Nephilim; I fear your child will never be safe, not if Lucifer has his way."

Andie sighed heavily. "Y'know Cas, you really know how to lay on the reality. And – not that I'm complaining – but why am I getting this one on one time with you? Why not Ellie?"

"Ellie doesn't have my experience." He replied. "Although, even having known her a short time in comparison to other angels, I sense she will make herself quite involved, be what Dean calls a butt-nancy."

Andie gave him an odd look. "Butt-_insky_." She corrected him.

Castiel seemed puzzled. "What did I say?"

"You said – well, it doesn't matter, I know what you mean." Andie huffed. "Ok, you wait here, I'm gonna go grab the morons who got themselves locked in a basement." She walked passed him. "Oh, and-" By the time she looked back over her shoulder, he was gone. "Oh, for the love of..." She seethed and stormed downstairs to the overjoyed shouts of her two trapped friends.

**xxx**


	20. Nobody I Know

_A/N – Beloved Zoe belongs to Eryn! And she half-owns Luka as well :)_

**Chapter 20**

_Nobody I Know_

Dean spat his mouthwash into the sink and wiped his mouth on a handtowel. He'd drawn the shortest straw for the bathroom; it had been awhile since he'd had to do that, but it had also been awhile since he was in a group like this. After rescuing Cass and Zoe, Andie had reappeared outside the cafe where Sam and Dean had been frantically calling all the numbers in their phones to find her. When Dean had spotted her again, looking quite pissed off standing beside the Impala with Cassidy and Zoe behind her, a simple 'Castiel' was enough to let him know what had happened.

The group had packed into Dean's car and head back to Cass's apartment where Luka was waiting, triumphantly having fixed the refrigerator. So now, the six of them were back on track to sorting out this new case that Cass and Zoe had stumbled on, and then been sidetracked by the demon that had trapped them.

With six of them researching, they'd made a hell of a lot of headway in just one day. Cass and Zoe had uncovered a Blair Witch like legend, which is why they were in Salem, and the townspeople were reporting more sightings than ever.

The next day saw them all splitting up to handle different leads; but until then they were all sleeping.

Luka and Cassidy were in her bedroom, Sam had chivalrously given Zoe the fold out sofa for herself while he curled up on a creaking rollaway bed, and Andie was with Dean in the small spare room that only had enough space for the double bed crammed in there and the skinny floor lamp in the corner.

Clicking off the bathroom light, Dean retreated into the bedroom. Andie was asleep already, in the same position as always, curled up against the pillows with one hand draped across her stomach. Of course now, that hand was resting on her baby belly. It puzzled Dean that her stomach was so obviously pregnant, but in the book he read the baby was still so small. But it wasn't the first thing about all this that he couldn't get his head around.

A part of him was excited, having a kid would be kind of cool... and he'd be lying to himself if he said he had not once dreamed of a life like that. Wife, kids, Little League... before he'd met Andie, those dreams usually starred one of his exes, Lisa, and her son Ben. Now it was Andie that he dreamed of, content and happy with their demon-free life.

It was probably still a dream. Even with a baby in tow, they'd still have to hunt. They'd still have demons after them. They couldn't just turn that off, could they? It wasn't a switch; it was a life path they'd both chosen.

Dean had practically raised Sam on the road while his father was hunting; he knew how to deal with kids... although caring after his own daughter was definitely going to be different than the way he dealt with Sam. There'd be less teasing.

Of course, it was terrifying as well, Dean couldn't even remember his mother pregnant with Sam, and he couldn't recall how tiny his newborn brother had been. He remembered him as a toddler, chubby fingers and rosy-cheeked. He wouldn't let Dean out of his sight without screaming bloody murder. As a young boy, Dean had hated it, looking after his kid-brother while he dad was off hunting. It was a life he didn't want to visit on his own child.

As he climbed into bed beside Andie, he wondered about the name he'd picked in the future... Annie. He liked it; as a homage to his wife it was nice, but he knew the first thing Andie thought of when she heard the name was Little Orphan Annie; and she would rather not give their daughter such an obvious name to tease with. He didn't know what else to call her, except Bug, but Andie probably had issues with that being her birth-name as well. A random comment in the book Cass had Dean reading said to wait until you 'meet' the child; but Dean wasn't so sure about that, especially with Andie half-believing she wouldn't ever deliver this child, and even if she did, the apocalypse would soon follow.

Careful, so as not to wake her, Dean looped an arm around her back and pulled her close to him. Her hand shifted and interlaced with his fingers, but she didn't wake. Pressing a kiss to her crown, Dean shut his eyes and hoped for a peaceful sleep for all three of them.

**xxx**

Cassidy loved having company, she'd never really had this many people in her apartment before. Granted, she hated this place, but it was a nice safety zone to sit back and recover in. She wasn't sure if it was Andie's pregnancy having an effect on her or what, but Cassidy had really developed a habit of being a homemaker. She found she loved baking, she was really into reading pregnancy books, and right now she was cooking a breakfast feast for everyone. In one of the books she'd read it talked about expectant father's having the symptoms of pregnancy instead of the mother's. Somehow that had bypassed Dean and smacked Cassidy square in the jaw.

Luka wasn't complaining in the slightest, it was like Cass was floating on a cloud; she was always happy. He spied her in the kitchen that morning, humming as she turned bacon in one pan and fried eggs in the other. She caught him grinning at her when she went to the fridge for milk.

"Why are you so happy?" She questioned him, setting the milk down and snaking her hands up around the back of his neck.

"Why shouldn't I be? Slept well, about to eat well, got some good people around, and I've slept with almost half the people in this apartment." He grinned. "Including myself."

Cass smacked him upside the head and then kissed him. "Get that bacon off the stove, will you? The smell makes Andie sick."

Luka did as she asked. "Y'know with all this extra care you're giving Andie I'm gonna start to get jealous." He muttered.

"Aw, don't worry Luka," Andie sang cheerfully as she entered the kitchen. "She'll always love me more than you; you can bet on that."

Luka retaliated by waving the pan of bacon in her face.

Andie turned a shade of green. "Ugh, you suck."

"Here," Cass shoved a mug under her nose. "Tea."

Andie wrinkled her nose at the liquid. "It stinks." She declared.

"But can you smell the bacon?"

"No," Andie realized. "Ah, I see what you're getting at; clever girl." She gave her a soft pat on the cheek.

Zoe joined them a second later scrunching her bed-hair away so it settled, a blonde mess, atop her head. "I want bacon." She greeted them all, and then grinned when Cass stuck a plate on the table for her. "Thankies!"

"Are you sure we should do the whole divide and conquer thing today?" Luka asked sceptically as he dove into his bacon and eggs.

"Either that or the six of us tromp from place to place as a gang asking the same questions." Andie pointed out as she sat cross legged at the other end of the table, as far away from the bacon as she could be.

"Are you scared?" Zoe raised her eyebrows at Luka playfully.

"No." He said defensively. "I'm just... thinking of Andie. She's pregnant; shouldn't you be getting a massage or something?"

"Pregnant or not I could still kick your ass," Andie said with a happy grin. "Besides, we have a case, and if you sleep with hunters," She nodded her head from Zoe to Cassidy. "You're a hunter."

Zoe laughed. "She torched your ass, Luka."

Luka rose to his feet and picked up his coffee. "I'm surrounded by insanity..." he muttered as he left the women alone.

"Maybe he's right..." Cassidy mused as she set a plate of buttered toast down in the centre of the table. "And not just about the insanity... maybe pairing off isn't so safe?" She eyed Andie up and down.

"Oh, my God, how long are you going to be like this, Cass?" She grabbed a square of toast and chewed away at it.

"I'm sorry, but one of us has to look out for you. If you didn't have me, you'd give birth in a big box under the stairs."

"If you're doing all this in hopes I'll name the baby after you..."

"Oh, please, I'm not _that_ vain." She paused. "What the hell is wrong with my name?"

"Hey, Felix and Oscar, would you two shut up?" Zoe growled. "It is _way_ too early in the morning for your bickering."

Cass cleared her throat. "Fine. But I'm still right."

"You are not." Andie grumbled inaudibly.

"Anyway!" Zoe said loudly. "No matter how we split up, we still have a whole mess of places to visit."

"Yeah, I'm headed to the graveyard," Andie piped up. "See if we can't identify a lead."

"By doing what?"

Andie took a long drink of tea. "Well, according to a whole bunch of newspaper articles, all the local witches accused at the Salem trials were buried there after they were burned."

"Right, right," Cass remembered. "They called them the Moira Witches or something."

"Yeah, there were fifteen of them," Andie said. "But I have a theory one of them isn't buried there, hence the increase in ghost sightings this past month."

"Which is why I'm going to the place where all the sightings have been seen," Cass reiterated. "The disused mental hospital; to see why the heck the ghost would be haunting again now."

"I'm up for the graveyard," Zoe said. "That's morbid, but I am."

"Morning, ladies," Dean greeted them all through a yawn as he came into the kitchen. "What are you all yakking about?"

"We're dividing so we can conquer." Andie replied with a grin. "Wake your brother; you two pulled library duty."

**xxx**

Zoe drove her Bug with Andie in the passenger's seat to the local graveyard, about twenty minutes away from Cass's apartment. Andie liked travelling with her; she didn't sing to the radio like Dean and Cassidy. On her lap were a handful of newspaper clippings describing the graves of the witches that were buried in the graveyard; but none of the photos showed all the headstones in full, which only added to Andie's theory that one was missing.

"Crap," Andie cursed as half the clippings slid off her lap; her belly was in the way.

Zoe giggled but shut her mouth when Andie glared at her. "Sorry... I guess the happy hormones haven't kicked in yet, huh?"

Bypassing the fact she had no idea what Zoe was talking about, Andie just shook her head. "No."

"If it's any consolation, your kid is gonna be super-cute."

Andie gave her half a smile in return. "Is that it?" She nodded towards the upcoming turnoff. Zoe swung left and headed down the bare, dirt road towards a hill speckled with tombstones and crosses. The trees were sparse in some places, and in thick clumps in others. Zoe parked her Bug beside a flowering shrub and she and Andie head towards the graves.

Zoe shivered inside her jacket and stuck her hands into her jeans pockets. "This is creepy like a cartoon." She murmured. "I half expect the fog to roll in."

"Here," Andie thrust a newspaper clipping at Zoe, one of the few with pictures. "That's what we're looking for. All the graves are together." She split away down the path. "Holler if you find something, ok?"

Zoe just nodded and headed up the hill whilst Andie began to circle it. A breeze picked up as she wandered through the headstones in various states of disrepair. Some obviously cared for by family members, those were the ones that were clean of weeds with the names still visible etched in the stone; but the bulk of them were long forgotten, shrouded in vines and grime, almost unreadable.

Using her clipping as a guide, Andie searched for the gravestones of the Moira witches. They were grouped together, the paper claimed in three rows of five. Andie couldn't see anything of the sort around her. She stood at a slight peek of the hill, held a hand to cover her eyes and scanned cemetery. There was no uniform pattern to any of the graves, at least not here.

"Andie!" Zoe called. "Jackpot!"

Andie found Zoe halfway up the hill, on a levelled section that was one of the few areas covered in foliage. There were three gravestones poking up out of some thickets, and at first Andie thought there was just those three, but closer inspection revealed that there were indeed rows of identical gravestones; hidden underneath winding vines and low hanging branches.

Together, the women cleared back the debris to reveal all the gravestones. Zoe stood back to count them as Andie uncovered the last few. She yanked the clipping from her pocket and scanned down to the names of all the witches. "Agalia?" She said to Andie, who found the matching headstone in the far left corner. "Elene..." Andie almost tripped on that grave, it was the one touched the most by the weather out front. "Bethania." Far left. "Maria." Directly in the middle. They kept running through the names, Delia, Tabitha, Hemera, Karme, Ophelia, Phyllis, Kora, Maia... they were all there. Those thirteen were, anyway.

"Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos..." Zoe read again. Three graves, all missing. "You were right. But not just the one; three witches weren't buried here."

"Then why the hell do all these articles say they are?" Andie waved her clippings in the air.

"So people wouldn't ask questions..." Zoe assumed, looking around the gravesite again. "I mean, look... there are no other headstones up here, no one would want to be buried near fifteen witches. I sure as hell wouldn't. And all the vines and stuff; no one's been up here in years."

Andie sighed and rested her hands on her hips. "We're talking the 1600's; so the last three are definitely dead."

"Maybe they weren't burned like the rest?" Zoe suggested. "Maybe they died another way..."

Andie locked eyes with her and nodded. "Then we gotta find out how."

**xxx**


	21. The Fool On The Hill

_A/N – Shorter chapter this time, but you'll see where I'm going :)_

_As always, Zoe belongs to Eryn! xxx  
_

**Chapter 21**

_The Fool On The Hill_

Andie and Zoe made it back to Cass's apartment to find her doing, of all things, laundry. "What is with all this Mother Hen stuff you're high on?" Andie teased her, pulling at a stray strand of her hair.

"I have houseguests." Cass replied proudly. "And y'all are messy as hell."

"Where's Luka?" Zoe asked as she retrieved a cookie jar from the kitchen.

"We were waiting for records from the hospital, the sweetie offered to stay and wait himself, ain't he cute?" She blushed. "What did you two find out?"

Zoe was fists deep into the cookie jar so Andie explained to Cass everything they'd found. "So there are three witches missing; not one." She finished.

Cass chewed her lip. "_Well, that sticks a fork in your genius plan_."

"I know, right?" Andie laughed as she took a cookie from Zoe.

"You know what?" Zoe asked her, a little confused.

"I was talking to Cass." Andie replied.

"I didn't say anything." Cass told her, and then she waved a hand dismissively at her. "Anyway, what we did find out from the mental hospital is that it was burnt down like 200 years ago and they just built it right back up. Morbid, right?"

"What used to be there before?" Zoe asked.

"That's what the records will tell us." Cass replied.

Andie watched her intently.

"_I hope Luka's okay there by himself... I should call him..._"

"Oh!" Andie jumped to her feet, Cass's lips hadn't moved an inch; but she'd heard her voice as clear as day.

"What?" Cass scanned her belly to her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I heard you." Andie said hurriedly.

Cass looked puzzled. "Of course you did, I'm standing right in front of you. Dork."

Zoe laughed. "I love it when you two act crazy."

"Honey's! We're home!" Dean's voice rang through the apartment as he came wandering into the room, Sam gave everyone a nod but his arms were full of books so he went to dump them off into the kitchen.

"Library any good?" Cass asked, ignoring the weird look Andie was giving her.

"No, they were just given a bunch of crap to make them get out of there. The librarian was a real bitch." Zoe said mindlessly as she carefully split apart an Oreo. It took her a second to realize everyone was staring at her. "What?"

"How did you know that?" Dean questioned her. "That's exactly what happened. The librarian was hot; but such a bitch. How did you know that?"

Zoe swallowed hard. "I... I dunno... I just knew... like I had been there..."

"Ok, what the hell is going on here?" Cass cried. "You're both talking gibberish!"

Andie was as confused as Cassidy. Until Dean's voice found its way into her ears. "_Andie's boobs are getting bigger... that's so awesome... how much bigger will they get? Will they stay that way?_"

Andie paled. "Oh, god."

"What?" Dean was giving her an odd look.

"You're talking about my boobs."

He looked surprised. "I didn't say anything."

"No, no, but you thought it; and I heard it." She whined and turned to Zoe and Cass. "I'm hearing people's thoughts!"

"What are you talking about?" Dean looked even more puzzled.

"I dunno why, but I can." She said. "Think of a number, any number." She could hear what he was thinking as clear as day. "Four thousand-two hundred and seventy-three. No, seventy-two - seventy-three, seventy-two – dammit, Dean, pick a number!"

"Hell!" Dean took a huge step away from her. "Oh, God... this isn't a baby thing, is it? What if the kid is telepathic?"

The same fear had troubled Andie but she was quick to dismiss him. "It can't be that, Zoe had that weird memory..."

"What the hell is going on with us?" Zoe wondered aloud.

"I know." Sam said plainly as he wandered in carrying an old textbook open in his hands. "You're possessed."

"What?" All three girls yelped in unison.

"By the ghosts of the remaining witches. You disturbed the burial ground." He set the book on the table. It was in fact not a textbook, but a collection of newspaper articles from centuries ago.

"But I never went to the damn graveyard!" Cass snapped irritably.

"No, but you were the first person they saw when they came back." Sam explained, gesturing to Andie and Zoe. "This says the curse travels to the first three women to come in contact with the burial plot or with someone who's been there." He jabbed his finger at a passage in the book.

Cass sent a menacing look to Andie and Zoe. "You two got me possessed again?"

"What, exactly, are we all possessed with?" Andie asked, ignoring Cass's glare.

"Like I said. Witches. Well, their ghosts." Sam informed them. "The remaining three Moire witches; we spelled it wrong. When I researched it with the right name, I found this book. The town changed the name from Moire to Moira years ago to stop people looking into it. What's different about these three is that they're not just witches-"

"Of course they're not." Zoe deadpanned.

"They're sisters. The Three Fates. And each of them has an ability, which I assume is what the three of you are feeling." He gave a wonky smile. "Lachesis sees things that were," Sam nodded to Zoe. "Clotho hears those that are," he smirked at Andie. "And Atropus sees things that will be." Cass looked like she'd clobber him.

"You found all this in one book?" Dean was flipping through the pages.

"There only _is_ one book." Sam said.

"Why?" Andie said to the ceiling. "Why are we being possessed? What's the point? What the hell are we meant to do now? Live our lives seeing and hearing crap that we don't care about?"

"It has to have something to do with the hauntings, right?" Zoe piped up. "I mean, why else?"

"Hm..." Dean mumbled as he glanced over a page in the book. "Well, this says the Moire sisters were healers, sorta like doctors back then, but when the witch burnings began they were wrongly accused."

"So, what, 400 years later we're supposed to clear their names?" Cass scoffed. "I'm not into that."

Andie slapped Dean across the back of the head when he purposely thought of them in a disgusting sexual position. He tried to look innocent but he laughed anyway. "Well, I am." Andie said. "I do _not_ wanna be privy to what's in this guy's head." She poked Dean in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Zoe suddenly grabbed her forehead. "Ow! Ow!" She buckled over; Sam caught her by the middle before she hit the ground.

"Is she okay?"

"I assume she's having another flashback." Cass growled.

"Oh, would you drop the attitude, Cass?" Andie snapped at her. "It's not helping."

"I'm sorry; I just can't believe I got possessed without even doing anything."

Andie smirked. "You lie! You're jealous! You wish you could hear thoughts, not see the future."

Cass fumed and stamped her foot. "Oh, I am _hating_ on you so hard right now Morgan."

Andie tried to listen in to her again, but all she heard was a string of quite vulgar curse words that just made Andie smile triumphantly.

"Hello!" Zoe cried as Sam helped her to the couch. "Head-splitting migraine and you two are fighting?"

Andie listened in again. "Ooh, Zoe, I've never heard you swear like that." She said proudly.

"I didn't - get out of my head Andie!" She yelled. "God, that was a random vision." She shook her head back and forth to clear her mind.

"What did you see?" Dean asked.

"Fire. And lots of it. The burnings, maybe?" She rubbed her temples. "I could feel the heat of the flames, like I was standing right there." She sighed. "Why did that one hurt so much?"

"Maybe the further back you go, the more it hurts?" Sam suggested, to which she gave him a pained expression.

"So you can see the past," Andie pointed at her. "And Cass sees the future, so why am I _hearing_ the present?"

"Because you're_ in_ the present, stupid." Cass told her as she flopped down beside Zoe. "You're already seeing it."

Andie frowned. "Fair enough."

"Ok," Dean rubbed his temples. "The sisters wanted to be possessed at the same time, right? That's why it hit all of you like it did. So there has to be something they need to do, right? Ghosts always haunt for a reason and it's always personal."

"Yeah, but ghosts don't usually possess people." Sam pointed out.

Cass's eyes suddenly flashed pure white, and she gasped. "Oh, God, I'm seeing something... it's-it's us! In the graveyard... it's raining...oh! Oh, God!" Her eyes blinked back to normal; but she had tears welling in them.

Andie could see how troubled her friend was. "Geez, Cass, what did you see?"

"Us... dead." Cass's chest was heaving. "We all die."

**xxx**


	22. All Together Now

_A/N – Zoe belongs to Eryn! This chapter is also dedicated to her; I hope everything went smoothly with your big move to college hun! :) xx  
_

**Chapter 22**

_All Together Now_

"Die?" Zoe repeated. "You saw us die?"

Cass nodded. "In that graveyard... I haven't been there but... it's like I _was_ there..." She looked fearfully to Andie. "We have to stay away from it. I see the future, so we just do the opposite of what I see, right?" She had to grip her hands into fists to keep them from shaking.

Andie could read the fear in Cass's mind, as much as she tried to shield it, but she agreed. "Yeah, ok. No graveyard."

"There's a reason you three are all possessed at the same time," Sam spoke up knowledgeably from beside Zoe. "These three were sisters. They worked together. Maybe that's what you have to do now?"

"Work together?" Zoe echoed. "We do that all the time."

Dean was nose deep in the book about the Moire sisters. "This says they were also called the "Weavers of Fate"." He spoke up. "So, I'm assuming, you three have to change something... in the past, present or future."

"Ok, well the whole reason Zoe and I came to Salem was the haunting." Cass spoke up. "Those fifteen, well thirteen I guess, witches were burned because a whole mess of kids went missing. The town blamed them and burned them."

"Then two months ago, the descendants of those missing kids have claimed to be seeing their ghosts at the abandoned mental hospital where Luka's waiting." Zoe added.

"Something disrupted those kids graves..." Dean mused aloud. "Woke them up again, so to speak."

"That's what we thought." Cass said, referring to her and Zoe. "But we can't find anything that says where those kids were buried. The witches claimed to have no hand in their deaths, so they never found them back then, let alone now."

"So... we have nothing." Andie stated. "Nothing to go on."

"_Oh contraire_, my pregnant friend." Luka announced as he came back into the apartment, triumphantly waving a manila folder above his head. "Finally got these from the hospital," He handed the folder to Sam. "Before it was a psych facility, it was another psych facility, and then before that, say in the 1600's? It was a cemetery."

"Another one?" Zoe looked puzzled, peering over Sam's shoulder at the file.

"Not legitimately," Luka explained. "But when they excavated the land to put in the first hospital, they found the remains for twenty-six children."

"Ew," Andie blanched. "The ones the witches apparently killed."

"It would seem so."

"I don't wanna go to a mental hospital," Andie whined, and all of a sudden her head was full of everyone's voices making irritated jabs at her. "Hey!" She cried, pointing to her head, reminding them all that she could hear them. The voices returned, but full of compliments and apologies. "Oh, you're all so friggin transparent."

Luka looked completely confused. "What's going on?" He asked Cass.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll explain to you on the way."

**xxx**

The voices were getting to Andie; she could hear what everyone was thinking. Zoe was worrying, Cass was still annoyed at her new power, and for some reason Sam was singing. So to keep it to a minimum, Sam rode with Cass, Zoe and Luka in his truck while Dean and Andie followed in the Impala. She could deal with just Dean's thoughts, as wonky as they were.

When the group arrived at the psych facility; they split up. Going off Dean's theory the girls' had to work together, Cass, Zoe and Andie took one end of the hospital whilst Dean, Sam and Luka headed down the other.

It was an abandoned building, and had been quite damaged by local youths and the weather. Windows were shattered, there was graffiti covering most of the walls, and any electronics of use had long been stolen.

Only when Andie used her power to crack through a heavily locked door, that her head became filled with voices, voices that didn't belong to the two women behind her. "Whoa..." She scrunched her face and tried to isolate the voices, but as far as she could tell it was all in another language. "I'm hearing voices... what else is new?" She said in unison with Cassidy who had been preparing the retort in her mind.

"Y'know what we haven't thought about?" Zoe piped up as they filed into an extremely derelict and dusty hallway. "How the hell we're gonna get rid of these powers. Don't get me wrong; I kinda like being more useful, but I'd prefer not to get a migraine every time I have a vision."

"Well, with these type of things usually the effects go away when we figure out what the hell we have to do." Cassidy told her, flicking a light switch on and off just to see if it worked. It didn't.

"So, wait and see?" Zoe inferred.

"Will. You. Two. Shut. Up." Andie snapped. "I'm trying to listen... Zoe, you speak Latin, don't you?"

Zoe flushed. "Barely."

"_Nos es insons insontis_." Andie recited. "It's repeating over and over. _Nos es insons insontis_."

"_We are_..." Zoe thought. "_We are_... something." She scrunched her brow together as she tried to decipher it.

With a buzz and a flash, the lights in the hall suddenly flickered into existence. Zoe and Andie turned to see Cassidy looking highly pleased with herself. "Electrokinesis saves the day again." She said smugly, blowing on her fingers as if they were smoking guns.

"Be careful with that," Zoe warned her. "You could kill us all."

"Oh, unclench Mitchell." Cass teased.

"Don't make me – innocent!" She suddenly cried. "We are innocent!" She grabbed Andie's sleeve and tugged on it. "That's what it means, _Nos es insons insontis_. We are innocent."

"Holy Sh-!" Cass's head flung back again and her eyes glazed in white. "Oh... that's right, she's right..." Cass grinned. "We're not dead anymore!" She came out of her vision and grabbed up Zoe in both her hands, shaking her exuberantly. "You're right! We're doing something right!"

"Stop!" Andie held a hand up. "Secret door." She pointed up ahead of them where through some torn wallpaper; a brass door handle could be seen poking through.

The voices in her head started sounding more and more urgent, making Andie's heart race in excitement as she approached the door at a quick stride. The door was unlocked, and it lead down a spiral metal staircase. The lights were lining the railings, and each one was dimmer than the last the further they all descended.

When at the base of the stairs, Andie's feet didn't come into contact with concrete, or any time of generic floor. Instead, she found herself standing on dirt. There was one light on a wall in the corner, glowing so weak it was almost out. Cass touched it, and sent an electric current rushing through it, making it glow bright enough to fill the basement with light.

"Are you seeing this?" Cass asked the two of them as they all shuffled down onto the ground.

"The three creepy graves? Yeah; I'm seeing it." Andie replied as her eyes fell upon the trio of large rocks that doubled as headstones. Each one had the name of the three women Andie, Cass and Zoe were possessed by scratched into the stone.

"Ow, vision, _ow_!" Zoe cried, falling to her knees and burying her face in her hands.

"What? What can you see?" Cass squatted beside her and held her steady.

"Agh... it's here; they were here. All three of them were here." Zoe said through gritted teeth.

Andie was only half-listening, her eyes were drawn to the walls. They were covered in scripture that she didn't fully understand. Some was in English, some Latin, some she couldn't even identify. And then there were symbols, almost like hieroglyphics, strung together in some sort of pattern.

"They died here!" Zoe cried exasperatedly as she came out of her flashback. "They all died here; together."

"Were they buried here?" Cass asked Andie, who raised her eyebrows in response.

"Only one way to find out." Andie knelt down in the dirt beside one of the graves, the one with _Clotho_ etched into the stone, and started scooping away the earth. Cassidy and Zoe followed suit, each of them digging at the grave of the woman whose power they each currently possessed.

"Ew!" Zoe yelled, retracting her hands from within the dirt. "I got bones."

"Me too," Cass blanched and tossed what appeared to be a finger bone back into the ground.

"Yeah, same," Andie quickly recovered the skull she'd found. "Hey..." Something silver, half-buried in the dirt, glinted in the lamplight. It was a ring. "This is real pretty." She said, holding it up to Zoe and Cass.

"Hey, I got one, too!" Zoe yelped, plucking an identical ring out of the grave she was hunched over.

"Ditto." Cass dug a third ring from the ground.

"Bring them over here," Andie ordered as she rose to her feet and went back to the lamp. "Maybe they've been engraved with something." She held her ring underneath the light, Cass and Zoe followed suit, and all three rings clinked against each other.

A sudden rush of wind caught all three of them off guard; so fast they all stumbled.

"What was that?" Cass wondered aloud.

"Oh, no..." Andie eyes fell on something behind Cass's shoulder. "There are some ghosts behind you."

Cass jumped, even though Andie's voice was calm, and spun on her heel. There were three ghostly women standing on top of the graves, all wearing old-fashioned dresses that covered them from neck to toe. They all looked solemn; but somewhat relieved.

"You saved us." Clotho said, smiling faintly at Andie.

"We are innocent." Lachesis nodded to Zoe. "You saw; we are innocent." Zoe could only nod in reply.

Atropus reached a hand towards Cassidy, her dainty fingers like soft vines, welcoming her. "Thank you... for finding the truth."

A heated glow spread from Andie's fingertips, which held the ring, throughout her whole body, and she assumed by the looks on Cass and Zoe's faces that they were experiencing the same thing. A vision; that began as voices in her mind and spun into images through her head.

They saw these women, these sisters, doing only good things for their community; healing the townspeople, laughing and enjoying their lives. And then darkness, the twelve witches that kidnapped children; did unspeakable things to them, and the Moirae sisters were blamed as well. Three women with strange abilities, who could not find the children; they were assumed to be involved.

But they were not burned with the others.

They killed themselves; with a poison, in this basement is where their souls lay. Terrified to have to endure the fire; they all took their own lives so they could live in limbo on their own terms together; and not be sent to hell with the witches.

When Zoe had disrupted the empty graves, she had awakened the sister's souls; gave them some sort of message that there were people who could free them for good and let them pass into the next life as innocent, free souls.

Cass, Andie and Zoe's eyes all opened with a snap; all of them gasping. "You saw it, too?" Zoe asked, to which Cass and Andie nodded. The three ghostly figures were still standing before them; all now smiling with their truth having been revealed.

"What the hell are you three doing?" Dean bellowed from the top of the stairs.

Before their eyes, the three ghostly figures flashed and then disappeared. Andie's mind cleared immediately, it was so empty that she smiled.

Dean was jogging down the staircase to the girls. "You unleashed hell up there!" He jabbed his shotgun to the roof. "I killed three spirit hags on my way down here!"

"Luka and Sam?" Cass asked, concerned for their welfare.

"They were fine when I left them..." Dean surveyed the basement, seeing the headstones and dug-up graves. "What the hell is going on down here?"

"This is where the three sisters were buried." Andie explained. "Not in the graveyard with the others. They were innocent."

"They tried to help; but because of their powers they were burned anyway." Zoe realized. "We released them... they're gone now."

"So are the powers." Andie said gleefully. "I can't hear you people anymore!"

"Aw," Zoe pouted. "Sad. I liked seeing the past... y'know, minus the migraines. And you two still get powers..."

"Post-death electric residue doesn't really count." Cass made a face. "And Andie thinks she gave it to me."

"Ok, hands up who angelically resurrected you?" Andie raised her own hand. "Oh, look at that! Me!"

"Dean?" Sam's voice travelled down the stairs. "They all, ah, disappeared."

"Yeah; that was us." Cass called up to him. "We saved the day. _Again_."

"Well; let's go, shall we?" Dean held his arm out wide at the stairs. "Like we don't spend enough time in creepy basements and graveyards."

"That's poetic," Zoe commented.

Cass nodded in agreement. "Like the start of a country song-"

Andie held a hand to her breastbone. "Woman, if you start singing I will end you."

"Understood," Cass whined and shoved past her up the staircase.

"You don't mind when I sing," Dean pointed out as they climbed up after her.

"No, I do." Andie confirmed. "I just suppress it. I'm cool like that."

**xxx**


	23. All You Need Is Love

A/N – Follows the season 5 ep My Bloody Valentine :)

**Chapter 23: **

_All You Need Is Love_

Andie entered her second trimester without incident. She didn't even realize she'd made it into that milestone eighteenth week until Cassidy had sent her a text message congratulating her. Not that she hadn't noticed how big she was getting; the only pants she could wear now were her sweats, and Dean was starting to get annoyed when she took all his clean shirts.

Even though they were currently investigating a case – and right around Valentine's Day – Andie still managed to get in a heck of a lot of down-time. Her newest fad was indulging all her cravings, even the one that currently had her chewing down a bucket of onion rings covered in mayonnaise.

"Hey," Dean said as he came out of the bathroom. "I was thinking about names."

"While you were in there?" Andie scrunched up her nose.

"What- no, no," he slouched in the desk chair and set himself up behind Sam's laptop – his brother was out interviewing a woman who had found her friend being literally eaten to death by her date. "For the kid."

"It's not Zeppelin, is it?"

"How'd you know?"

"Cos I saw you write _Zeppelin Winchester_ on that notepad three hours ago."

"You don't like it."

Andie gave him an apologetic smile. "Of course I don't. Look, I'm all for weird names but not Zeppelin."

Dean gave her a little glare. "This from the woman who didn't think it would be weird to name the kid Lennon McCartney Starr Harrison."

Andie balked at him. "That is a _beautiful_ name."

Their squabble was interrupted by Sam coming back, hands full of his own takeaway meal, and he proceeded to tell them both that apparently there was nothing supernatural at the home of the woman, Alice, who had died.

"So, what, it's being ruled as normal?" Dean rubbed his eyes tiredly. "God, you didn't see these bodies at the coroner's office. I mean, these two started eating... and they just kept going. Their stomachs were full; like Thanksgiving dinner, full." His eyes glanced over to his wife who was shovelling more onion rings into her mouth. "Or pregnant Andie Morgan full." To this, she flipped him off.

"Well..." Sam sighed hugely and set down at the table with his meal. "Nothing more we can do tonight."

"Sam, it's Valentine's Day," Andie reminded him. "You should be out bar-hopping and getting yourself some skanky-ass tail-"

"My pregnant wife, ladies and gentlemen-"

"-and instead you're here eating take-out with your brother and I? How sad are you?"

"I don't like you all hormonal," Sam pouted. "You get way too into my business. No, I am not going to indulge in Dean's favourite holiday, "Unattached Drifter Christmas", thank you."

"You should go, Dean, pick me up a whore, too." Andie grinned at him and finished off her last mayonnaise laden onion ring.

"Sweet of you, but I'll pass."

Andie narrowed her eyes at him. "So you're not into bars full of lonely women who'll go home with anybody who looks at them twice?"

"I have you; you're all the lonely woman I need."

"You're so lame." She went back to her book.

Though their night was uneventful, the next day started with a bang. Another murder suicide. The coroner had called Sam to let him know, and Dean and his brother were headed to the ME's office to investigate. Andie hadn't slept well; her belly was starting to get in the way of her favourite sleeping position; one her stomach. So instead of tagging along, she was staying in bed reading a chapter of a baby book Cassidy had sent her the month before that she hadn't bothered to open until now.

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Dean asked as he shrugged his suit jacket back on, Sam waiting impatiently at the door. "Could be fun. Demons. Guns. Possible death defying antics?"

"Yeah, sounds fun, but I think I should at least read one chapter of this book."

Dean nodded. "Wait til you see read what happens to your lady bits in childbirth," He shuddered. "I didn't sleep for a week."

"You're so sweet."

Andie went back to her book, and it was only moments after she heard the Impala roar out of the parking lot that she noticed someone else in the room; just above the top of her book; but she didn't look at him, maybe he'd just fly away.

"I know you know I'm here." Castiel said after a minute.

"I'm ignoring you." Andie said, keeping her eyes on her book.

"Have you been testing your powers?"

"No." Andie said flatly. "I have other things to do, like reading this book, so if you'll excuse me," She held the book up, blocking Castiel from her eyes, but the next thing she knew the book was halfway across the room. "Dammit!" Andie scowled at Castiel. "Don't do that."

"This isn't a choice Andie, you have to practice or when you _do_ use your ability you'll have no control over it. Throw the book back to me." He instructed, holding his hand out in waiting.

Andie rolled her eyes and lazy waved her hand at the book; it sprang right across the room like it had been fired out of a canon and crashed right through the window. Andie gritted her teeth. "Ok, you may be right..." She groaned and shoved off her blankets. She was back in her sweats, but she'd borrowed a black t-shirt of Sam's which was so large it slunk off one shoulder.

"So, what do you want me to do, exactly?" Andie asked, folding her arms. She was starting to notice that when she did that, she could feel her belly just under her wrists. "I don't wanna be sitting in a junkyard like back at Bobby's; that was useless."

"I feel we need to start smaller," Castiel said. "You've never trained your power. Last year, you tried to focus your power through your eyes, do you remember?"

"Yes." Andie replied tersely.

"That's where we'll start." Castiel held out his hand, and the baby book flew back into his fingertips a moment later.

"What about the broken window?" As Andie nodded her head to it, she saw that it was already put back together. Damn him and his Angelic stealth. Castiel set the book on one end of the table. Andie recalled how frustrating this had been the first time around; which is why she'd abandoned her efforts. If she remembered correctly it was only when a possessed knife was hurtling towards her did she find the switch that triggered her power through her eyes.

"They key is to see what you're doing before you do it. It'll be hard, you're used to your power doing as you ask of it through your hands. But starting from scratch is quite different."

Andie sighed, trying to blow out all her negative energy (there was a lot of it) with that breath, and narrowed her eyes towards the book. She played the visual over and over in her mind of it sliding gracefully across the surface to the other side. The niggling voice that kept telling her she would be able to do this in a pinch with her hands kept rearing its head, and she knew it was distracting her but it didn't really take a lot to do that. A moment later she found herself thinking about the oddly exuberant woman on the cover of her book... what was she grinning about?

"Andie!" Castiel snapped. "You're not focused."

"Ah, suck it." Andie pouted. "I'm trying."

"Not hard enough. Again."

Growling under her breath, Andie squinted her eyes at the book, willing it to move. She had to hold her hands tightly behind her back to resist the urge to just give the book a little flick with her pinky; that's all it would take. She could do that; so why not with her eyes? Damn; this was frustrating. Surely with the added power of her kid this should be _easier_, not harder.

After about an hour; she couldn't believe that it hadn't moved even a little bit. Castiel was patient with her; much more so than she would have been in his situation, and he just encouraged her to keep trying, keep focusing; and eventually she would get it.

A phone started ringing, and Andie assumed it was hers, but it wasn't. Castiel pulled the phone Dean had given him out of his pocket; a solution to Dean's dislike of Cas's popping in unannounced. "It's Dean." He answered the phone.

"Did he find out anything?" Andie asked, but before she'd even breathed out Castiel was gone. "Bastard." She cussed under her breath, flicking her finger at the book so it flew so fast across the table it landed in the kitchen. In silent anger, she vowed not to pick it up.

Instead she showered, tried once again to fit into her own clothes, to end up where she always did; tossing them in a heap in the corner of the room in disgust. What she did notice was a pair of Dean's jeans. They'd always seemed a little baggy on him, so just as a test she yanked them on, only to find they fit quite snugly.

She was grinning with glee at having something else to wear when Dean and Sam came back to the motel room. "Hey!" she said brightly. "Your jeans fit me!"

"Great, so you'll be stealing them now, too?"

"You knew it was only a matter of time." She said as she fell onto the bed. "So, Castiel went flitting after you; what happened?"

"There were angel symbols burned into the hearts of the victims." Sam informed her. "Cas says that it's a cupid; that's gone rogue and we have to stop it before it kills again."

"A cupid?" Andie repeated. "I feel I am not as shocked as I should be..."

"You said Cas was here?" Dean asked. "Doing what?"

"Oh, training me," She said with an eye roll. "Did not go so well; I couldn't even move that friggin baby book across the table, it's in the kitchen," She glanced and saw Sam bending down to pick it up. "Don't you touch it, put it down!" She snapped, holding a threatening finger at him. "Put. It. Down." He dropped the book back to the floor. "Now, it will stay there until I am ready to deal with it."

Dean shot her a bizarre look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I dunno; are we getting dinner?" She asked in the same breath.

"Yeah, Cas thinks the Cupid is hanging out at this Valentine's Day themed restaurant downtown," He held his elbow out to her. "Be my Valentine?"

"Aw, sweet," Andie took his arm and stood up. "But Sam already asked me."

"Dude," Dean shot his smug brother a look. "She's your sister-in-law."

"And _my_ Valentine." Sam grinned broadly.

At dinner, at the grossly over-decorated restaurant, the foursome sat at a booth in the corner where they could survey the customers. There were couples in various stages of their dates, some flirting over wine, some making out heavily, some looking like they could really need a room or the woman might end up like Andie in a few moments time.

They all ordered, except Castiel, with Andie and Sam hungrily diving into their meals. Dean opened his burger, squirted some ketchup across the bun and slapped it back together. But when he held it to his lips; he didn't take a bite and instead sat it on his plate and pushed it aside. Everyone at the table noticed.

"_You're_ not hungry?" Sam asked, wide-eyed.

Dean looked quite serious. "No." He glanced at all the odd looks he was getting. "What? I'm not hungry."

"So you're not gonna finish that?" Castiel asked, already reaching for the burger.

Andie cast a sideways look at Dean as she smothered her hot chips in mayonnaise. Castiel lifted the burger to his lips, and then dropped it. "He's here."

"Where?" Sam was scanning the crowd. "I don't see anything..."

Andie couldn't see it, but she sure felt something, like a cold chill across her body that centred in her stomach kind of like a fluttering. There was something supernatural in the air. It grazed through a hanging cherub display and seemed to gush over a man and woman sitting by each other, but not at the same table. All of a sudden, they practically started mauling each other.

"There." Castiel said.

"The same side of the booth couple?" Dean asked.

"Meet me in the back," Castiel said; but he was gone before he'd even finished the sentence.

"We should clear this place out," Sam said as he pushed his food aside. "All these couples... think of the massacre."

"Good call," Dean cleared his throat and stood up on his chair. "Attention restaurant patrons!" He hollered, yanking his police badges from his pocket. "We're closing this place down because of...of..." He looked to Andie.

"Outbreak of food-induced exploding diarrhoea." She murmured.

Dean gave her a look. "Because I said so!" He yelled to the crowd. "So... move!"

Andie started to usher the customers out; catching the eye of one woman who she thought she recognized. A brunette with quite a pinched-in face with her hair tightly pulled at the crown of her head. A second glance told Andie she didn't know the woman; even though her eyes were blatantly familiar. Dismissing it, Andie locked the front door behind them, Sam cleared out the staff and then the two of them plus Dean hurried out the back to find Castiel with his hand raised to the air, summoning an invisible force.

"Cas, where is he?" Sam asked, glancing around the empty room.

"I have him tethered." Castiel replied, before chanting a few choice sentences in Latin. "Manifest yourself." He lowered his hand.

They all looked around expectantly, waiting for a grand entrance or to have him just pop in like the angels. But nothing.

"So, where is he?" Dean asked.

As quick as a blink; Dean was engulfed in a huge bear hug from a pudgy and naked man with a highly exuberant grin. "Here I am!"

"Oh, God!" Andie had to shield her eyes, his body was less than attractive, and dimpling in all the wrong places.

"A little help?" Dean gasped, the hug had lifted him off his feet.

"Aw, help is on the way," The nude man purred in Dean's ear. "Yes it is, yes it is!" His mouth fell open when he saw Castiel, dropping Dean to the ground. "Hello you!" He grabbed up the angel in an even bigger hug.

"This is Cupid?" Dean questioned.

"Yes." Castiel said through gasping breaths.

Cupid set Castiel down when he caught sight of Andie. "You! And a baby! Awwww!" He started towards her with his arms out.

"No, no!" Andie shielded her belly; he was making a beeline for it.

"Oh, yes, yes!"

"No, no, no, no!" Andie clutched her belly and stared him down; in a blink he was sent backwards on his feet and landed heavily – and ungraciously - against the wall.

"Is this a fight, are we in a fight?" Dean wondered aloud.

"You did it." Castiel looked at Andie, apparently relieved.

"Yeah, but I'd rather not have a fat naked man about to steamroll me." Andie straightened her shirt – well, Sam's shirt, across her belly.

"This is... their handshake." Castiel explained as Cupid got happily to his feet and barrelled down on Sam, who was unable to escape the hug that came his way.

"I don't like it."

"No one does." Castiel conceded.

"Why is he nude?" Andie asked. "Why?" He turned to face them, in all his nakedness. "Oh, God, why?" She held up her hands to cover his shame from her eyes.

"What can I do for you?" Cupid asked, grinning broadly.

"Why are you doing this?" Castiel asked, accusingly, but the fact that the guy was naked took the sting off his threat.

"Doing what?" he asked with a giggle.

"Your targets; the ones you've marked." Castiel said. "Their slaughtering each other."

The smile disappeared from Cupid's face. "What? They are?"

"Listen, Birthday Suit," It took all Dean's strength to look the guy in the eye, he so desperately didn't want to look at him at all. "We know, all right? We know you've been flitting around, popping people with your poison arrows and making them murder each other!"

"What we don't know is why." Andie added.

Cupid looked insanely hurt. "You think... that I... well... I don't know what to say!" His face crumpled and he started bawling.

Andie pressed close to Dean so she didn't have to nudge fat-naked-_crying_-man. Sam came up behind Dean, Andie and Castiel, giving Cupid an almost sympathetic look. "Should somebody maybe... go talk to him?" he suggested.

"Yeah," Andie agreed.

"Yeah, give 'em hell, Morgan." Dean prodded her in the back and ushered her forwards.

Andie opened her mouth and made a face at him, but she approached Cupid, however hesitantly. "Look..." She said awkwardly. "We didn't mean to... hurt your feelings." Cupid spun around and grasped her up in his chubby arms. "Oof!"

"Love is more than a word to me, y'know?" Cupid sobbed into her shoulder. "I _love_ love and if that's wrong, I don't wanna be right!"

"Yeah, of course..." Andie patted his naked back. "God, you feel like a ham..."

"I was just on my appointed rounds!" Cupid pulled Andie back by her shoulders, his eyes misty with tears. "Whatever my targets do after that, that's nothing to do with me. I was following my orders." He suddenly gasped and knocked Andie aside. "Please, brother," He grabbed Castiel by the front of his trench coat. "Read my mind!" He closed his eyes.

Castiel caught Cupid's eyes, and the room was silent for a moment. "He's telling the truth." The angel said a second later.

"I wanna learn how to do that..." Andie muttered.

"Jiminy Christmas, thank you!"

"Wait, you said you were just following orders?" Dean asked. "Whose orders?"

To this, Cupid burst out laughing. "Heaven, silly! Heaven!"

Dean creased his brow. "Why does heaven care if Harry meets Sally?"

"Well, mostly they don't." Cupid admitted. "But, y'know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies." His smile reappeared. "Like yours! The union of John and Mary Winchester? _Very_ big deal upstairs; top priority arrangement."

"You set up our parents?" Dean asked.

"Well, not _me_, but yeh." He chortled. "Oooh, it wasn't easy, either. Oh, they couldn't _stand_ each other at first. But when we were done with them? Perfect couple! Like you two!"

"Us?" Andie stepped up to him. "You set _us_ up?"

"Well, no, actually. Heaven didn't really see that one coming." He laughed and eyed Andie's belly again. "But a baby is _always_ such a treat!"

"Well, you know, our parents," Dean continued. "They're dead!"

"The orders were very clear," Cupid tried to explain. "You and Sam _needed_ to be born. Your parents were just meant to be." He grinned again. "A match made in _heaven_..." He started singing. "_Heaven..._"

Dean slugged him in the face, immediately retracting his hand. Hitting the cupid was just like hitting an angel; as hard as a rock. Plus, Cupid didn't flinch, he didn't even lose his smile.

"Sonuvabitch." Dean grunted into his throbbing fist. Cupid, however, was gone in a flash. "Where is he? Where'd he go?"

"I believe you upset him." Castiel said matter-of-factly.

Dean's eyes were blazing. "Upset _him_?"

"Dean, enough." Andie cut in. His attitude was really wearing thin.

"What?" He snapped at her.

"Hey!" She snapped back. "You just punched a cupid!"

"I punched a dick!"

"Ok, Dean, are we going to talk about what's been up with you lately, or not?" Sam placed himself right at Andie's side.

Dean froze his steely expression. "Or not!" He growled, and roughly waded through the three of them out of the room.

"What is with him?" Andie asked Sam as Castiel, too, disappeared into nothingness.

"I dunno... he's been... distant... losing too many people... I think it's getting to him." Sam rubbed his temple. "Jo, Ellen, Pamela, what happened to Bobby, the whole thing with you and the Qeres..." He sighed. "It's like he's just..."

"Done." Andie finished for him.

**xxx**


	24. Don't Bother Me

A/N – Continues with season 5 ep My Bloody Valentine :) Also includes Aurora Sinclair, Bec's awesome OC :) Check out her fics under her name here Becimpala33.

**Chapter 24**

_Don't Bother Me_

Sam went off on his own the following morning, leaving Dean and Andie alone to research together, but Andie had other ideas, she was heading to the coffee shop just down the road to satisfy her desperate need for something sugary soaking in mayo.

"You sure you don't wanna come with me?" Andie asked Dean for the third time. "It's a coffee shop; they'll have donuts. If they don't, I'll be very pissed off."

"No, no, I'm fine. Go ahead." He didn't take his eyes of the screen.

In a huff, Andie stalked over to him, stuck her head in front of his eyes and kissed him full on the mouth. He was a little taken aback at first, but he kissed her back quite thankfully. When she pulled away, she noted his confused expression. "Because I can." She explained, swiftly kissing his cheek and heading out the door.

Andie hadn't been able to get that woman's eyes out of her mind, the one from the restaurant the night before, and then. She'd woken up in the middle of the night realizing why they were so familiar, sent out a quick text and now was going to meet that person in town. Andie arrived first, ordered a coffee (de-caf, sadly, damn baby) and a donut, with mayonnaise of course, and was halfway through it when her date arrived.

"Aurora, hey." She said with a smile and half a mouthful of donut.

The FBI Agent was looking quite cute, Andie was jealous. She used to be that slim. Aurora wore black, fitted jeans with a wide, red leather belt cinched around her middle. Her scoop-necked white t-shirt had a symbol printed on it in faded black ink, and she had a thin, black scarf looped around her shoulders. Definitely made Andie feel daggy one of Sam's button up checked shirts and Dean's jeans.

"Wow... look at you." Aurora smiled eyed Andie's baby bump. "You look so cute!" She removed her scarf.

Andie smiled smugly. "Yes, I know."

Aurora slid into the booth across from Andie, ordered a coffee and then widened her eyes at her expectantly. "I was surprised to get your message; I don't think you've ever sent me one before."

"Yeah; well," Andie flushed slightly. "I figured it would be easier to ask you face to face... and I have the phone... although I'm not so keen on the face to face either."

Aurora began to feel concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Well..." She glanced around to make sure they were out of earshot. "As you can probably guess, we're here because there's something demony going on."

"How bad?"

"Not sure yet, seems like an evil Cupid," She held up her hand to silence Aurora's oncoming question. "Don't ask. But, the thing is, the other night we were at this restaurant where Castiel said the Cupid would be..." She kept silent while the waitress sent Aurora's coffee in front of her and continued as she sauntered off. "And he was. So was your mother."

Aurora had been stirring sugar into her coffee and stopped mid-stir. "What?"

"It was her eyes." Andie continued. "You have her eyes. About the only similarity I saw, though. She was in some kind of business dinner. Anyway, I thought you might want to get her out of here, y'know, until things are... safer."

"So, she's ok? Nothing bad happened to her?"

"No, no, but y'know, might be a good idea to get her out of town."

"Huh," Aurora proceeded to continue stirring her drink; but with a little more ferocity than before. "Well... that's... something." She was speaking through gritted teeth; and her shoulders were tense and hunched together. "I'll do that, yeh, I'll call her."

"Ok...so, that's a sore spot for you, obviously," Andie said.

Aurora sighed. "No, I just..." She grunted and pushed her coffee aside. "You have mother issues, right?"

"Oh, _totally,_" Andie set a little too eagerly. "Of course I didn't really have a mother for that long so I probably can't relate so much but still..."

"Right... suicide." Aurora remembered. "Sorry."

"I'm over it." She said with an easy smile. _Mostly._

"Oh, good..." Aurora took a hesitant sip of her coffee. "I just... we never got on. Ever. She was so over the top, high society _chique_... and I guess she thought I just... wasn't that. I haven't spoken to her for awhile... a long while." She sighed. "And when my dad died, she kinda thought I'd finally be what she wanted me to be... but I wasn't so it kinda created this void. Look; I'd like us to be normal, I would. But I dunno if it's ever going to happen."

"Well, from experience, I can tell you that near-death experiences are one way to tell people how you really feel." Andie scoffed.

Aurora gave her a warm smile. "What is it about you that makes people tell you their life story?"

"I dunno." Andie frowned. "I think people mistake my awkward-face for a listening-face."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She said, a tad sceptically.

"Your mum, do you think about her?"

"Sometimes." Andie replied truthfully. "Less, in these past few years. But I think that's a good thing."

"Why?"

"Because I'd only ever remember her suicide, her acting all crazy and me not understanding what was wrong with her." Andie chewed her lip and stared aimlessly out the window. "I used to wake up every night after the same nightmare, me walking in on her dead in the bathtub... the water... was just so red..."

Aurora paused, and then smirked. "Does anyone ever win the My Childhood Was Worse Than Yours game with you?"

"Not as yet." Andie laughed.

Aurora snorted a little, too. "What the hell are you wearing, by the way?" She asked, steering the conversation to something much lighter.

"Huh?"

"Pregnant women are supposed to look adorable... you look..." She knew she had to pick her words carefully. "Gruff. Only you could be pregnant and still look like you'll kick my ass."

Andie shifted uncomfortably, not made easier by Sam's t-shirt stretching across her belly. "Look, I don't do dresses, and all these pregnant women I see are in the same florally, long, princess-y garb." She shuddered a little. "Can you imagine? Ick."

"There's a maternity store down the street, I passed it on my way here," Aurora finished off her coffee. "Why don't we go and get you something that actually fits you? I'm sure they have those jeans with the elastic waist."

"No, no, no," Andie declined immediately. "Fatties wear them."

"God, you're shallow."

"Have you not met me?"

Aurora huffed. "Fine, then I'll bet they have something bland, boring and leather-bound that'll appeal to your bizarrely asexual tastes."

"Fifty bucks says they don't." Andie declared, suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to spend, spend, spend.

**xxx**

Meanwhile, back at the motel, Sam and Dean were inspecting a black briefcase Sam had taken from a demon he'd killed. It was seeming more and more like there was something else going on in town; much bigger than just an evil Cupid.

"What the hell's a demon got to do with this anyway?" Dean asked as the both stared down at the briefcase, unsure whether or not to open it.

"Believe me, I've got no idea," Sam replied, intently eyeballing the case.

"You ok?"

Sam blinked a few times, focusing himself again. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be alright."

"Ok, then let's crack her open..." Dean said, despite Sam's sceptical glance towards him. "What's the worst that could happen, right?"

Both of them were well aware of just how bad it could be, but without any other leads they didn't really have a choice, so each of them held their fingers just above each latch of the briefcase, and then on three they hit the release. The lid of the case flung open and bathed the room in a brilliant white light so bright it forced Sam and Dean to look away. After a few seconds, it died down as if nothing had ever happened.

"What the hell was that?" Dean pondered aloud.

"It was a human soul." Castiel stated, having popped up a second before behind the both of them. His eyes were unusually wide and vivid, and he had a white paper bag with a fast food logo on it dangling from one hand, a half-eaten burger in the other. "It's starting to make sense."

"What about that makes sense?" Sam asked.

"And when did you start eating?" Dean was giving Castiel a weird look.

"Exactly!" Castiel said exuberantly. "My hunter; it's a clue actually."

"For what?" They asked in unison.

"This town is not suffering from some love-gone-wrong effect," Castiel started to explain. "It's suffering from hunger. Starvation, to be exact. Specifically... famine."

"Famine?" Sam repeated, to which Castiel nodded. "As in... the _Horseman_, Famine?"

"Great!" Dean snapped angrily. "That's friggin _great_!"

"I thought famine meant starvation, as in food..." Sam asked.

"Yes, absolutely," Castiel confirmed. "But not just food; I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something. Sex, attention, drugs... love..."

"Huh, well that explains the Puppy Lovers Cupid shot up," Dean muttered hotly

"Right, the cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came along and made them rabid for it." Castiel said, shovelling another mouthful of burger into his mouth.

"Ok, but what about you?" Dean asked. "Since when do Angels secretly hunger for White Castle?"

Castiel cast his eyes down. "It's my vessel... Jimmy... his hunger for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect."

"So, Famine just rolls into town and makes everybody crazy?" Dean deduced.

Castiel swallowed another bite of burger, and then responded in a low voice. "_And then will come Famine, riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty, and Great will be the Horseman's hunger for he _is_ hunger._" Castiel turned to the brothers. "His hunger will seep out and poison the air. Famine is hungry for the souls of his victims.

"So... that's what was in the briefcase... a soul?" Dean realized, yanking his cell phone from his pocket.

Castiel look grave. "Lucifer has sent his demons to... _care_ for Famine. To feed him; make sure he'll be ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To march across the land."

Sam let out a low breath and looked to his brother. "Who're you calling?" He asked.

"Andie," He hit speed-dial. "She went to lunch."

"Dean!" Andie yelped excitedly as she bustled into the room; arms overflowing with bags. "Omigod, you missed out on the best day _evah_!"

Dean hung up his phone and eyed her curiously as she dumped a load of shopping down on the bed. "What the hell did you buy?"

"Maternity clothes. Aurora took me shopping. Don't ask, Sam, she just left, had to whip her mum out of here. Look, look!" Andie plucked her favourite item out of one of the bags, leggings. Simple, comfortable, and black, but she hadn't even thought of them. "I bought like fifty pairs of them! Maxed out like three credit cards so, yeah, we'll have to leave town."

Dean cast a look to his brother. "I think this is yet another example of... the hunger." Sam just nodded.

Andie looked between them, seeing three very weird faces looking back at her. "What?"

"Short version is Famine's in town and that's what's making you hyper," Dean took her wrists and lead her to the other double bed. "You should probably rest a little..."

"Rest?" Andie laughed and pulled off him. "Hells no, I just came to drop this crap off, now I'm _really_ going shopping." She giggled excitedly. "Who knew I'd be _that_ kind of girl?"

"Andie!" Dean snapped, grabbed her up by her shoulder and plonked her on the bed. "You sit here; you understand? Stay here. Order whatever you want on room service, Pay-Per-View, get stuff delivered, I don't care. Just do not leave this room, ok?"

Andie gave him a strange look; but then she smiled. "I do love it when you get cross... sometimes I think about smashing up the Impala just to see the look on your face."

Dean clenched. "Cas!"

Castiel clicked his fingers, and Andie fell straight to sleep.

**xxx**


	25. Tell Me What You See

*follows the ep Dark Side of The Moon*

**Chapter 25**

_Tell Me What You See_

When Andie woke up, she was still in bed, but it was a different bed. In what she at first thought was a different hotel room, but that familiar musty grease smell and the bookcase with textbooks spilling off the shelves told her that she was in a room at Bobby's place.

It was dark out, but Andie felt like she'd had the best sleep of her life, until she remembered how she'd become that way. Castiel, snapping his fingers and sending her to sleep. Although; it was hard to be angry considering how refreshed she felt. Yawning and stretching, Andie got out of her bed and caught herself in the full length mirror across the room. She almost yelped out loud.

Lord help her; she was wearing a skirt.

The vague memories of going maternity shopping with Aurora clouded her mind and she did recall buying all sorts of things; but she was absolutely positive she didn't put any of them on. "Dean." She cursed as she pulled at the white cotton t-shirt over the gray and blue checked skirt. She hated to admit it but it sure was comfortable wearing clothes that actually accommodated her belly. But being undressed and re-dressed whilst unconscious was not a crime Dean was going to get away with. At least he hadn't messed with her hair. Although; considering how ratty it looked compared to her new clothes he could have at least taken a stab at it.

Peering out the window; Andie saw Dean immediately. But her anger at him waned as he watched him. He was leaning against the front of the Impala, swigging from a bottle of whiskey. She sighed; and almost instantly felt a nudge in her stomach, like something inside of her had pushed her. Looking down to her growing belly, Andie waited and sure enough a second later she felt it again, stronger this time, enough to make her tummy flinch a little.

A kick.

She hadn't read up that far in the baby book but she had a vague memory of Cassidy spouting off some fact about baby's starting to kick at around eighteen to twenty weeks, right smack bang in the middle of where Andie was in her pregnancy.

Lifting up her shirt, Andie put her hands on her stomach to just below her belly button where she'd felt the kick. As she pressed against her skin; another kick struck her. It took a moment for her to realize that she was smiling. It was such an odd feeling. She knew she was pregnant before, obviously, but to feel it, the life moving around... that was pretty cool.

Eager to have someone else feel the baby kick, Andie hurried downstairs. But she didn't see anybody, so she wandered into the living room. "Bobby?" Her smiled faded when she saw her old friend sagged in his wheelchair and sucking down from a beer bottle. Then she heard it; the faint screams for help interspersed with heavy banging on iron walls, all coming from the basement. "Who's in the panic room?" She asked as her heart rate quickened.

"Sam." Bobby said gravely. "He and Dean took out Famine, but Sam got himself all hopped up on demon blood again to do it." He sighed and took another large drink. "Dean brought you two here unconscious to let Sam dry out and you sleep off the Famine effects."

"Are _you_ ok?" Andie asked; since Bobby had been in the wheelchair, he had become a very bitter, angry old man.

"Peachy." He grunted, reaching into the cooler at his feet for another beer.

Not even sure what to say next, Andie just left him be and headed outside. It was cold; but her clothes kept her warm. She'd forgotten what it was like to have new fabric, not that kind that was so worn and thin it barely did anything except provide a modesty cover to her body.

"Dean?" Andie called as she approached him.

He turned too quickly; having been so deep in thought he'd almost forgotten where he was. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Good, great actually. Best sleep I've ever had." She replied; unable to ignore the strain and exhaustion set on his face. "Bobby told me about Sam..." He looked away from her again. "Why didn't you wake me up? I could've helped you."

He cleared his throat. "Cas said you needed to sleep; that it was good for you... I didn't want to get you in the middle of something dangerous..." His voice broke a little. "Sammy... he's... it's not good, Andie."

Andie was beside him now, leaning next to his shoulder. "He'll dry out." Andie assured him. "He'll get better, like last time."

"That's just it, Andie, I don't think he ever _got_ better last time." Dean admitted wearily. "I think he can't help himself, he just can't... he's not strong enough to fight this." He swallowed hard and looked up to the starry night sky. "I think that... Lucifer is going to take him over and there is _nothing_ any of us can do to stop it."

Andie didn't know what to say, telling him he was wrong wouldn't help, she knew that. She didn't want to agree with him, either, but she assumed saying nothing would warrant the same effect. Just then, as if on cue, she knew what to do. Silently, she took his hand and guided it to her belly where the baby was furiously punching away at her abdomen. She settled Dean's hand to her chest, and waited, until the baby sent a forceful kick right against his palm. "Oh, God," Dean pulled his hand away in surprise. "She kicked me..." He replaced his hand and felt around again. "Whoa, she's so strong."

"Course she is." Andie said matter-of-factly, pleased to see a brief smile flicker over his weathered face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Dean said, his hand awaiting another kick.

"Why the hell did you dress me like this?"

**xxx**

They stayed at Bobby's for a week; until Sam was well and truly back to normal. Still twitchy, but as normal as he had been before Famine. Now they had two rings; and a plan. Get all four rings. Seemed easy enough in theory; but if just getting the one from Famine; whom Dean had described as 'one truly ugly sonuvabitch', had caused Sam to OD on demon blood again and made Dean keep Andie unconscious for her own safety; then it was safe to say getting the remaining two rings wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

A new day, a new motel. This one was pretty ordinary and only had one studio room available. Since they were only resting for the night, they didn't mind that the two double beds were literally inches from each other.

Since her long, long, _long_, sleep, Andie only slept for a couple of hours and spent the rest of the time reading her book and surfing the web on Sam's laptop. When the sun rose, she grabbed her wallet and hurried down to the convenience store to grab breakfast for the guys' before they woke up. As it always happened, she began wanting everything she saw the moment she entered the store. She grabbed a handful of stuff for breakfast, and then went in search of something sugary to find only cheap immiation chocolate. She grabbed cookies and ice-cream instead, paid and headed back to the motel.

"Ok, they didn't have good chocolate so I bought cookie dough," Andie said as she wrestled her bags into one hand so she could unlock the motel door with the other. "We don't even need to cook it..." Her voice trailed off when the pressure of her pushing her key to the lock made the door open. "Guys?" She kicked the open door and came into the motel room. "What..." Her bags fell to the floor; she thought she screamed but no sound came out. Dean and Sam were each laying on their beds, flat on their backs, huge shotgun holes blown into their chests.

There was blood everywhere.

They were dead.

Andie's breath was puffing in and out of her chest so fast she couldn't control it. She couldn't move. Her hands were gripped into tight fists, and she fell to her knees. A second later; she blacked out.

**xxx**

"_Andie_?"

Though she expected to wake up with a headache; Andie woke up just as refreshed as she had at Bobby's, and when she saw Ellie in front of her it confirmed her thought that once again, the angels were up to something.

"What's happening?" Andie asked as she sat up on the grass. _Grass?_

For the first time; Andie actually looked around. She was outside, at first she thought in a field, but she turned her head and saw a beautiful farmhouse just by the road. The field Andie was in was a front yard filled with stunningly perfect sunflowers and lush; green trees. Behind her she could see a crystal clear river that seems to go on forever. It was beautiful.

"Where am I?" Andie asked as she allowed her grandmother to help her to her feet.

"You're in heaven." She replied with a kind grin.

Andie snapped her head up. "I died?" She repeated. "But I can't..."

"Everyone can die, Andie." Ellie told her firmly. "Even angels. Although it does take a lot more effort."

That horrid image of the motel room flashed before her eyes. "Dean and Sam?"

"It's ok, they're here, too. Well, not _here_, but you'll find them."

Andie rubbed her neck, glancing down at her feet and noticed one massive difference. "The baby?" She clutched her flat stomach. "What the hell?"

"Rules." Ellie shrugged. "You _are_ dead per say, but you won't stay that way, so technically you are still alive. As is the baby, back in your body..."

Andie clenched her jaw in frustration. "How can I find Sam and Dean?"

"Follow the river." Ellie pointed her hand towards it. "For some people it's a road or a path or a hallway, for you it's a river." She rested her hands on granddaughters' shoulders. "After you go inside, that is."

Andie cast her eyes over to the farmhouse again. It was painted pale blue with white shutters on all the windows. It had a porch overlooking a fenced yard with children's toys scattered around. As Andie watched, a young man no older than Dean burst through the back door with a toddler scurrying after him giggling wildly. Her father pretended to hide behind the plastic doll house but the child found him and clung to his leg. On the porch; a woman exited the home with a tray of glasses. She wore a long, floral sundress and her dark, dark hair was clasped at the back of her neck with a clip.

"What is this place?" Andie asked. "Who lives here?"

"You do." Ellie stood beside her. "Or, you _did_."

Andie looked sideways at her; she did not recognize this house. "What?"

"You were almost two, I think." She began walking towards it. "My grandfather built this from the ground up. It's still in Australia; if you ever go back there."

"Who are those people?" Andie asked; although she was quite sure she already knew.

Ellie seemed to assume the same thing; and didn't respond. She held open the white picket gate and let Andie walk in ahead of her. "Go to the porch, love," She said softly. "I have a Princess to save..."

By the time Andie had turned to give her a weird look; her grandmother was creeping up behind the toddler girl as her father made monster noises that made the child laugh. Ellie snatched the little girl around her middle and tumbled her upside down, causing her to squeal with delight.

"Andie?" The woman from the porch was calling her; Andie knew that without turning around. She was so transfixed by the way Ellie had just melded into their game like she had been there all along, but Andie tore her head away and walked up onto the porch. There was a gentle breeze in the air, it seemed strong but nothing on the picnic table even quivered a millimetre. The woman had her back to Andie, setting a place for her at the table. She turned, and brushed her hair from her eyes, smiling somewhat nervously. "Hello, Andie."

"Lily?" Andie said in awe, as she stood face to face with her mother.

**xxx**


	26. Your Mother Should Know

**Chapter 26**

_Your Mother Should Know_

Andie was prone to weirdness in her life; but sitting across from her dead mother whilst her equally dead father and grandmother played with a toddler version of her... weird. Lily did most of the talking while Andie just watched her young self screech with laugher as she played numerous games with Ellie and Dylan. Andie was definitely not accustomed to seeing her father so active. She had just the one picture of him tucked away in her journal, but her dreams of her mother and now having Ellie back as an angel gave them both a 'life' that Dylan didn't have to Andie, at least not in her memories.

He was handsome; Andie had known that from his photo. He had very short brown hair and a gentle face that lit up when he laughed, making his kind, brown eyes sparkle. He was a little shorter than Ellie; broad-shouldered and tanned; he exuded friendliness, and had the unique ability to simply appear to be a good guy.

Lily was explaining this world; what exactly it was. It was a memory; heaven was a place where one re-lived the best moments of their life, the ones that were unforgettable and even ones so small they could be forgotten. Lily explained that this memory was her favourite.

Andie sat across from her mother on the pale blue and white porch. The tablecloth was white lace with yellow checks trimming the edges. Lily poured two glasses of lemonade in crystal clear glasses and set one in front of Andie, who was still watching her father and herself in deep concentration.

"No, they can't see you." Lily anticipated her daughter's question. "It's my heaven, not theirs. Obviously," She busied herself straightening the already straight tablecloth. "I wouldn't be in your heaven." She muttered sadly.

Wondering if her internal frustration was that visible to her mother, Andie shifted awkwardly in her seat and cleared her throat. "While I'm getting a real kick out of being non-pregnant, I would _love_ to know why I'm here."

Lily only seemed interested in the first half of that sentence. "Oh, yes, my first grand-child... I wish I could be there..." She cleared her throat. "Have you picked a name?"

Andie shook her head. "I think Dean might want to name her Annie – well, Andrea, but Annie for short."

"You don't want that." Lily noticed.

Andie shook her head. "It's what he named her after I died. I don't want to call her something as a homage to her dead-in-the-future-but-not-in-real-life mother. And Cass wants me to name her Cass."

Lily laughed. "Cassidy... now _she_ is an angel."

Andie paused. "Oh, you're not gonna tell me you _sent_ her to me, or something, are you?"

"Oh no," Lily shook her head. "No, I believe you two found each other on your own."

Andie mustered some sort of crooked smile in return, but avoided her mother's eyes. "I'm really eager to get back to my other body," She peered down at her flat stomach. Her back didn't hurt, her feet weren't swollen and she didn't have to pee; this heaven thing did have its perks. "So, can we just do whatever it is we're meant to do?"

Lily smiled. "Well, that's not up to me."

Andie groaned and let her head roll back against her chair. "Christ, is this one of those 'find your inner pain' things? I've done them. _Repeatedly_."

"No, I don't think so." Lily brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "But think about it; you're about to become a mother; and now you're talking with your dead mother? There's gotta be something to that." She scrutinized her daughter's features. "You're scared."

"Of course I am." Andie snapped rudely. "I didn't have a mother; how am I supposed to be one?"

Pained, Lily took a drink of her lemonade and glanced over to her loving mother, proud husband and giggling daughter. "Do you know why I picked this moment?"

"Cos no one's dead yet." Andie answered flatly.

"Because we were happy." Lily corrected her. "All of us. You, me, Mum, Dylan..." She sighed and settled back into her chair. "You know when I was pregnant with you; I was terrified. You had powers already; you made mine so much stronger...and I was afraid that when you came out... someone was going to take you away from me." She grinned as she saw Dylan swing young Andie around in a circle. "When you were born, the cord was wrapped around your neck. You were blue... I had never prayed before, not once in my life, until that moment. I begged whoever would listen not to take you away, not my baby girl." Suddenly, she chuckled. "You smiled. They say babies that young can't smile, but you did. You opened your eyes, smiled and then cried like Hell." She wiped a tear from her eye. "And when we brought you home and I looked at you; _really_ looked at you..." Her eyes glazed over in a coveted memory. "I saw what you were. A warrior. That's why I named you Andrea." She sighed calmly. "And when-"

"Just stop it!" Andie cut in, slamming her drink down so hard on the table that it spilled, staining the crisp white tablecloth. "I don't need to hear this Mummy crap!" She yelled. "It doesn't matter what you felt _before_. You left me! Killing yourself was better than staying alive – staying with me!"

Lily's eyes grew heavily tearful. "Oh, sweetheart, that's not true. I loved you then; I love you still..." She cut herself off; seeing the rage boiling through Andie so fast it made her fists clench.

"It _doesn't matter_ what you say, don't you get that?" Andie cried. "None of this," She gestured to the picturesque surroundings. "None of it matters; none of it is real. It doesn't change anything. It doesn't change what you did. It doesn't change that the _only_ thing I see when I think of you is that bathtub overflowing with your blood."

Tears flowing freely from her eyes, Lily glanced at her hands, remaining silent.

"You couldn't handle it, so how in the Hell am I supposed to?" Andie continued. "I don't know what to do with a baby! I don't know how to take care of one, mother's are supposed to know! And I have no idea! This kid has zero chance with me, and it's _your_ fault!" She pointed an accusing finger at her tearful mother. "You made me like this!" She grabbed at her clothes. "This-this mean, angry person who hates _everybody_! I just want to _KILL YOU_!"

Lily snapped her head up; a bitter stare peering through her watering eyes. "Aren't you tired, Andie?" She asked after a moment.

Andie was still fuming. "What?"

"Aren't you tired of being angry at me?" Lily said. "You'll be having a baby of your own in just a few months, and you're still furious at me for something I can't change. I am forever sorry for what I did, and I know that _you_ know deep, deep in your heart that it is _not_ your fault." She bit her lip. "But it will never change; I can never fix it. And neither can you. So please, Andie, for your own child's sake... please just... let go."

Andie's anger started to fade, very, _very_ slowly. "I don't know how." She admitted. "I've been mad at you for so long... I don't know how else to be."

Lily nodded and looked to her hands. "I understand, believe me." She glanced over at Dylan, who had scooped young Andie up in his arms and was spinning her. "When your father was killed... I lost it. It wasn't his fault; he was protecting me... but I was so mad at him. How dare he leave me?" She limply shrugged her shoulders. "It's grief, Andie. And it messes with everyone in a different way. I couldn't handle it; so I had to..." She had to take a deep breath before she continued. "I had to end my life. And you... you chose to go on almost... blank." She gave her daughter a faint smile. "It's easier, isn't it? Not to get involved, not to stay put... but that changed."

Andie found her lip curling into a wry smile. "You're right."

"When you met Dean?"

Andie shook her head. "When I met Cassidy." She gulped. "When I was a kid, I had to give up a lot of stuff, y'know? When I lived on the street it was easier not to get attached to anyone or anything. Somewhere along the line, I stopped feeling..." Her eyebrow furrowed into a familiar, concerned expression. "It was just too hard. I got used to being alone. When I met Cass... I was in a bad way... I was hunting everything, I didn't care what it was or what it did to me... I just didn't want to stop... because if I did? I knew that I would realize who I really was. A sad, pathetic excuse for a human being." Her mind flashed back to her best friend again. "But she... she didn't care. I was meaner to her than anybody in my life, and she didn't care. She used to make me _so_ angry..." Andie smiled. "Angry. I hadn't felt anything before and now I was angry. _She _did that. She fixed me." It was only as she spoke the words that Andie realized how much truth was behind them. "And I'm still here because of her."

Lily smiled, as soft tears rolled down her cheeks. "I told you she was an angel." She said.

"Andie," Ellie arrived behind her and sat in the chair beside her, taking Andie's lemonade for herself. "It's time."

"For what?"

"To follow the river," She reminded her. "I promise you'll find Dean and Sam at the end of it."

"Why can't you come with me?" Andie asked as she rose to leave. "You're an angel, this is heaven, surely you have some pull."

"I'm not an angel. Not here." Ellie smiled. "I believe my angelic half has been cut off from heaven in the real world. Here, I'm simply your grandmother."

"I'll walk you to the gate." Lily stood and made her way around the table.

Ellie took Andie's hand and kissed it. "I'll see you soon, love."

Lily walked in step with Andie down the path to the gate. "Can I ask you something?" Andie asked as she walked through the gate leaving her mother on the other side.

"Of course."

Andie felt kind of silly for asking; but she was curious. "Have you... seen my baby?"

Lily smiled knowingly. "Oh, yes." She laughed lightly. "And don't be scared; you – and Dean – will grow into it. No one is prepared for a child." She added wisely. "You just have to learn your own way, find what works for you."

"You sound like Cassidy..."

Lily placed her hands on Andie's shoulders and ran them up her neck, cupping her cheeks in palms and rubbing her thumbs against her skin. "Be strong, my love." She said firmly. "Survive." She leant in and gave Andie a quick kiss, sensing she wasn't ready for much more from her dead mother just yet.

Andie was just going to walk away, but she couldn't seem to turn around. And then, before she realized what she was doing, she had flung her arms around her mother and enveloped her in a tight embrace. "I miss you, Mum," She whispered into her shoulder as Lily stroked the back of her head.

After a short while, Andie detached herself from her mother. She had to find Dean and Sam (lost in heaven, of all places) and they had to get back to their bodies as well as the real world. Andie and Lily didn't say another word to each other; enough had been said, they just faintly smiled at one another as Andie departed for the river.

By the time Andie reached the water, her mother had returned back to the house and was hugging her toddler under one arm and squeezing her husband around the neck with the other as she planted a kiss on his cheek. Lily led her family to the table, and cast one more look towards her adult daughter across the field, smiling as she headed deeper into the brush.

Andie felt somewhat more at ease now. Whether it was finally unloading on her mother, not dealing with pregnancy hormones, being in heaven or a combination of the three, she was focused now. She was ready. And what she was leaving just behind her didn't faze her, because she had to follow this river to find her family.

**xxx**


	27. Any Time At All

_*continues on with Dark Side Of The Moon*_

**Chapter 27**

_Any Time At All_

Unable to get Simon & Garfunkel's '_Mrs. Robinson'_ out of her head, Andie began counting small landmarks to make sure she wasn't going around in circles. A tree with reddish leaves to her right, a large rock in the rover that spliced it in two directions and the never-ending flow of butterflies up ahead that seemed almost to be directing her. "_Jesus loves you more than you will know... whoa, whoa, whoa_ – dammit!" Andie kicked a rock along the water hoping it might take the repeating song with it as it sunk to the bottom.

Heaven did have its perks; it was very different to what Andie had imagined. Heaven was reliving your most favourite moments of your life? That was pretty cool... _what will mine be, then_? She didn't have any memory of this river, although she assumed it was just a path as Ellie had explained.

Her need to find Sam and Dean wasn't only to make sure they were okay, but hopefully they had a better idea than she did as to why they were here. It couldn't be just to get that weight off her chest with Lily; she'd done that. She would be back in her big ol' pregnant body if that was all she'd had to do. So there was another reason, and she was damn sure she would find the boys before she figured that out.

For the first time in what seemed like a mile, Andie noticed a path leading up off the river. It wasn't hard to deduce she was supposed to go up there. What she saw almost made her give a fist pump in elation; she'd stumbled across a Winchester domestic.

"...bailing on _your_ family, I mean, what do you want me to say?" Dean was ranting.

Sam shrugged limply and looked at his feet. "I just don't look at family the way you do."

"Yeah; but _I'm_ your family. You, me, Andie, the kid; we're supposed to be a team; us against the world, right?"

"Dean..." Sam said firmly. "It _is_."

Dean seemed hurt; and highly unconvinced. "Is it?"

"Am I interrupting?" Andie asked, knowing full well she was, as she stepped onto the road that was as black as the night sky, _hang on... road? Night?_ Three seconds ago she'd been ambling her way through a river in warm afternoon sunlight. She turned, and that river was long gone. All she saw were some oddly familiar trees with blackened trunks and branches; damaged from a bushfire, no doubt.

"Andie?" Dean and Sam said in unison as they approached her.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked whilst Sam eyed her curiously. "You're not pregnant..."

"No, not here," Andie patted Sam's shoulder. "I am back home, it's a perk, huh? And yes," She turned to Dean. "I'm fine." She sighed and looked around. "Where are we?"

"Castiel said to follow the road and I'd find Sam," Dean informed her. "Which I did, eating dinner with a cookie cutter family. Oh, and that was before we went to the place he fled to when he left me and Dad."

It didn't take a genius to notice the tension in the air; Andie hoped her experience would top theirs and get them to move on. "I saw my dead mother."

"So did we." Sam said mournfully.

"Oh," Andie said dejectedly. "Well, this place sucks," She glanced around at the blackened house just behind Dean and the equally fire damaged garden. "This is meant to be heaven?"

Dean shrugged. "More or less. Want the best news? Zachariah's searching for us."

Andie couldn't help but scoff and scowl at the same time. "Why?"

"Because we can't say 'yes' to Michael and Lucifer if we're dead," Sam said. "So he wants to shove us back in our bodies."

"That's a good thing... right?"

"Apparently not. Cas said we're behind the wall, and we have to find another angel." Dean rolled his eyes; they were ass-full of angels right now. "Joshua; apparently he talks to God. Cas wants us to find out what the Hell the Big Man's been saying. We're supposed to follow this road," he gestured down to the asphalt. "Which will lead us to the Garden where Joshua's planting daisies or something."

Andie caught most of what he was saying, but she drifted off when she recognized something on the charred letter box. "Oh..." She said in a low voice as she walked over to it. "No friggin' way!" Kneeling down, Andie clearly saw her initials carved into the letter box. With a broad smile she looked up at the tattered and torn house. "I know where we are!"

"Andie," Dean jogged after her as she sprinted for the door. "It doesn't look all that safe, the roof is falling off."

"It's always looked like that, come on..." The handle was stuck, like always. Two twists to the right, one to the left, and heaving her elbow into it as she turned the knob and boom! It opened. It was a tiny, tiny house. One big room, one kitchen and a bathroom slash laundry. The big room had originally been a bedroom and a living room, but the wall was so damaged it was just easy to knock it all out and live in one big space.

"You lived here?" Sam assumed as he gazed around, unsure whether to be _im_pressed or _de_pressed that she'd had to live here.

"Uh-huh." Andie said as she familiarized herself with the old furniture, and the new stuff she'd dragged in herself like the bed and TV.

"Please don't tell me you burnt it to the ground," Dean asked as he inspected her fridge. "Although it wouldn't surprise me." He laughed. "And neither does this." He took a beer from the fridge and snapped it open.

"No, I didn't set it on fire." She told him. "I was 16, and this place was abandoned after the 1994 Eastern Seaboard bushfires. One of the few that actually isolated Sydney; though it didn't actually reach the city; but it got damn close. We had raining ash and red skies for a week after it was all over." She fell heavily into the beanbag chair she'd bought back then; it was still as comfortable as ever. "Anyway; so many people on the outskirts of town just picked up and moved on, like the folks here. I helped them pack things up; lived here until they came through and steamrolled the place, put up what you people call a mini-mall." She sighed and leant back into her chair. "It was one of favourite places ever."

"That's why it's here." Sam said. "Your heaven and all."

"So, my heaven's on the way to this garden?"

"A lot of things are on the way to this garden." Dean reached his hands down to her in her comfy chair, which she stubbornly didn't wake. "We gotta keep moving."

"Fine." Andie slapped her hands in his and made him lift her whole body weight to her feet. "Let's follow the crappy tar road, then."

As the three aimed for the door; a blinding white light shone down from above; like a spotlight from a helicopter, causing all three of them to rear back and cover their eyes.

"Zachariah!" Dean yelled.

"Back door, come on!" Andie took the lead and lead them all out the laundry door straight into the thick woods that backed right up to the house. As she ran, Andie vaguely remembered seeing kangaroos starting to come back to the vegetation while she lived there; only to then be shuffled out once that mall had been approved.

"Andie, swing right!" Dean called from behind her.

She hadn't realized how fast she was running, being knocked up shortened her opportunities to bolt from demons (or angels apparently), she had a lot of pent up energy. She slowed and headed right, ducking behind the trunk of thick oak tree. Dean rounded it and she grabbed him and Sam, pulling the three of them to the tilting bank the tree was growing out of so they were somewhat shielded. The light was gone; but they could hear distinct footsteps crushing the leaf litter nearby.

"Wow... running from Angels... on foot... in heaven..." Zachariah's sardonic voice rang through the air. "With out-of-the-box thinking like that I'm surprised you kids haven't stopped the Apocalypse already!"

Andie, Sam and Dean stayed put. Even as, in the blink of an eye, the cover of darkness disappeared and the sun was suddenly beating down on them; they didn't move.

"Come on, guys!" Zachariah laughed. "What's the problem? I just wanna send you back to earth; that's all."

Andie peered behind the oak trunk and saw that bald-headed bastard of an angel with his back to them.

"That is, after I tear you a _cosmos_ of new-ones." He continued. "You're on _my _turf now, kiddies!"

Andie ducked back down beside Dean as the angel turned, and his footsteps started to sound like they were coming straight for the trio.

"And by the time I'm through with you, you're gonna be _begging_ to say yes!"

Dean took a peek for himself, and decided for the three of them. "Ok, go, go!" He urged in hushed whispers, pushing Sam ahead of him and snatching Andie's wrist. "Run!" He shouted when he knew Zachariah had spotted them. They weaved through the trees and came to a clearing; where the angel was standing there waiting for him, looking almost sorry for them.

"Guys," Zachariah shook his head. "You can run, but you can't _run_."

Sam backed into Dean and Andie, turned and shoved them both forwards. "Just go; move!" He shouted, and they all took off again, winding through pine trees this time; until they came to another clearing, but it wasn't Zachariah waiting for them, it was a really skinny guy wearing a mask and a cape; like a bad wrestler. He held his finger to his lips, and told them to, "Hurry, this way!", and then he dove into the bushes.

With no other plan, Dean, Sam and Andie followed him until they came to an old shed. When they arrived at it; the masked man was scratching a sigil into the door in white chalk. He finished and held the door open, ushering them all inside before climbing in himself and yanking the door closed. Andie looked around in confusion. The shed, from the outside, looked about the size of a portable toilet; but inside was a very spacious bar complete with pool table, a half a dozen or so tables and chairs, and a fully stocked liquor cabinet.

"Who are you?" Sam demanded as the masked man went to the bar and began to remove his costume.

"_Buenos días_, bitches!" He exclaimed as he pulled off his mask to reveal a hefty mullet. Dean's eyes widened. "Ash?" Ash clapped his hands twice, and all the lights in the bar came on. Andie was impressed, with the bar that is, it was quite homely, she spotted a dart board and what looked like a knife board, and some comfy looking couches she could've spent a day or two in. Ash, on the other hand, made her smirk. Aside from his awful haircut, he wore an out of date cut-off black t-shirt and dirty jeans, plus he seemed quite attached to his belt buckle; he hardly kept his hands off it. "Welcome to my Blue Heaven." He announced.

"The Roadhouse..." Dean murmured nostalgically as he hopped down the stairs closer to the bar. "Man, it even smells the same."

"Bud, blood and beer nuts," Ash nodded. "Best smell in the world!" He went behind the bar.

"Roadhouse?" Andie repeated to Dean. "As in the one that burned to the ground with him inside?" She pointed to Ash.

"The very same." Dean smiled and sat in one of the bar stools; pulling the one beside him out for her to sit on.

"Thanks." Andie sent him a wry grin; he was definitely in a good mood here.

"Hows' about a cold one?" Ash asked the trio as he went for the fridge, clicking on the jukebox as he did so. "Bonus of being up here; no hangover." He handed a can to Sam and Dean and offered one to Andie.

"No, I can't, I'm preg – I'm not pregnant!" She realized halfway through the sentence. Another point to heave; alcohol. "Gimme!" She snatched the can, flicked it open and drank down some of that sweet liquid she'd missed so much.

"Look, Ash, no offence or anything," Sam started carefully.

"How does a dirtbag like me end up in a place like this?" Ash asked for him. "I've been saved, man."

"And this is your heaven?" Sam asked.

"Yep, my own! Personal!" He grabbed an army knife off the bar, used the blade to cut the can at the bottom and proceeded to down the whole beer in ten seconds.

Andie was impressed. "Oh, _awesome_!" She said in approval. "These two can't shotgun a beer to save themselves, last time Dean tried it came right out his nose; and Sam always breaks the can."

"That mean you can, Miss Lady?"

"Hell yeah; but only bitches use a knife," Andie lent up over the bar and grabbed a full can of beer. She hadn't done this in a few months; she hoped her technique still worked. Pressing her thumbnail into the base of the can so it made a slight dent, Andie then stabbed it hard with her nail causing a slight hole, which she then pressed with her thumb to widen it. The beer started flowing so she held it to her lips and guzzled it down, two full seconds faster than Ash. When finished, she belched loudly and crushed the can in her hand. "GOD, that's good stuff."

Predictably, Dean was eying her like a madman. "I am loving you so hard later on." He winked and grinned a little too much.

"Lucky me." Andie quipped.

"You must be Andie," Ash now offered his hand over to shake hers. "Good to meet ya, never had your pleasure in my Earth dwellin' bar. But Cassidy came 'round, Zoe was a regular, and that chick, Van? _Mmm_!" He made a satisfied yelp and smacked the bar with his palm. "Girl, you know the hottest hunters, I tell ya."

Andie went back to her first bear, proud that she hadn't spilled any of the shotgunned one on her clothes. "Cass always said it was a nice place. Condolences on being dead, by the way."

"No need for sadness, I am at my peace here," He said gleefully.

Sam was still confused. "So when the angels jumped us, we were..."

"In _your _heaven." Ash told him.

"So there are two heavens?" Dean asked.

Ash shook his head. "No, more like 100 billion so, no worries, it'll take them angel boys a minute to catch up." He looked around at the three bewildered faces staring back at him. "See you gotta stop thinking of heaven as one place. It's more like a buttload of places all crammed together. Like Disneyland without all the anti-Semitism."

"Disneyland?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah, see you guys have Winchester Land, Ash Land," He gestured to his bar. "A whole mess of everybody else Lands, put 'em all together... heaven! Right? And at the centre of it all, is the magic kingdom. The garden."

Dean smirked. "So everybody gets a little slice of paradise?"

"Pretty much." He shrugged. "A few people share. Special cases, and whatnot."

"What do you mean, 'special'?" Andie asked.

"Oh, you know like... soul mates." The sentence seemed to cause a dull silence, which Ash hastily filled. "Anyways, most people can't leave their own private Idaho's."

Dean pointed at him. "But you ain't most people."

"Nope. They ain't got my skills." He boasted. "Hell, I have been all over Johnny Cash, Andre The Giant," He relished in the envy in Dean's eyes. "Einstein, Sam?" He turned to the younger Winchester. "That man can mix a White Russian. Hell, the other day? I found Mallanāga Vātsyāyana."

Now it was Andie's turn to be impressed. "Oh, my God." She had to smile.

"Who is that?"

"He wrote the Kama Sutra." She said.

"Oh; yeah, you are getting hard loving later." Dean made a grunting noise that made her shove him.

"Girl knows her books," Ash gave her a thumbs-up. "I like that." He reached for another beer. "Now that I'm dead, I'm living, man! A whole lot more than I used to."

"So how did you find us?" Sam asked.

"I rigged up my very own..." He ducked under the bar and returned with an open laptop in his hands. "Holy rollin' police scanner." The screen was black, but when Ash hit a key a static sound started to wail and what looked like audio fragments came to view on the monitor. "That's angels!" Ash explained over the noise. "Blabbing Enochian; and now I'm fluent." He hit another button and turned it off. "I heard that you were up here, course I had to come find you. _Again_."

"Again?" Dean repeated.

"Course! This ain't the first time you guys have been up here; you die more than any one I have ever met."

"Really?"

"Ahh... yeah.. you don't remember. God, angels... must have windexed your brains."

"So, ah, have you found anybody else?" Sam asked, trying to be casual about it. "Ellen and Jo?"

Ash looked blank. "Ellen and Jo are dead?" Dean and Sam averted his eyes.

"Ahh, yeah, a few months now. Sorry." Sam said to his hands.

Ash had to take a few minutes, swallowing back tears. "Ah... hm... they-they went down fightin'?" He asked Sam, who nodded firmly. "Til the end."

"Yeah, lotta good it did." Dean muttered into his beer, until a thought occurred to him. "What about our folks?"

"Been looking all over for John and Mary Winchester," Ash said. "So far, _nada_. I'm sorry. But hey!" His solemn expression went back to what was apparently regular Ash-face. "There is somebody I know for _sure_ wants to chat with you..." He backed out of the bar and returned a moment later with Pamela, spunky psychic chick who had her eyes exploded out of her brains by Castiel all those months ago. Only now, she looked perfectly normal, eyes in place, in dark jeans and a vintage Ramones t-shirt.

"Pamela!" Sam cried and jumped to his feet.

"Oh, my God, you got your eyes back!" Andie shouted gleefully. Not having beer for so long and then suddenly drinking two cans in five minutes apparently went right to her head.

"Nice to see you kids again," Pamela smirked.

Sam, eager to learn more about Ash's computerized angelic police scanner, stayed with him at the bar whilst Andie took to herself to play some darts, and Pamela took Dean to one of the back tables with a beer each.

"So?" Dean said with a grin.

"So." Pamela said flatly, before smacking him across the back of the head. "That's for getting me killed."

"Yeah, well... that's probably less than I deserve. If it makes you feel any better we got Ash killed, too."

He sent them the Devil's symbol with his hands. "I'm cool with it!" He yelled back.

"See? He's cool with it." Dean continued. "So... are you good?"

"I'm good." And then her smile softened. "_Really_. Remember my death scene? Gunshot? Coughing up blood? You told me I was going someplace better. You were right. My heaven?" She grinned. "It is one long show at the Meadowlands. It's amazing. You should see it." Her smile faded when she saw the look on Dean's face. "You don't believe me."

"No, I do." Dean said slowly. "It's just, y'know... spending eternity trapped in your own little universe while the angels run the show... that's lonely. Y'know, that's not Nirvana... that's The Matrix."

Pamela shrugged. "I dunno. Attic's still better than the basement."

"Yeah, but, this place feels real; but it's not." He said stubbornly. "Real, is down there.

"Yeah, well. Close enough." She took a long swig of her drink. "Look, Dean, I'm happy. I'm at peace."

"What, you trying to sell me a Time Share?" Dean asked sceptically. "What's with the pitch?"

Pamela laughed lightly, but then her face went serious. "I know Michael wants to take you out for a test drive."

"Pamela-" Dean warned.

"Just saying." She continued slowly. "What happens if you play ball with him? Worst case?"

"A lot of people die."

"And then they come here." Pamela smiled. "That really so bad?" She sighed. "You and Andie can come here, be happy. And safe."

"Andie's half-angel."

"I know that, lucky Nephil-istic bitch."

"You know it." Andie pointed at her before she began another round of darts.

Dean leant in so only Pamela could hear him. "Who says we'd be in the same heaven? I mean she had to follow a river to come find me before; there's nothin' concrete that says when we die we're going to the same place. And my folks? What about them? What about Sam? And my kid?"

Pamela's face softened. "Look; maybe, you don't have to fight it so hard. That's all I'm trying to say."

"Hey!" Sam yelped. "We found a shortcut to the garden."

"Awesome." Andie said as she nailed another bulls-eye. Her telekinesis meant she had never once lost a game of darts; in her younger days she'd made a lot money that way. "I get bored with winning all the time."

"Stay safe, you guys," Pamela said as she hugged Sam tightly around his middle.

Ash was scrawling another symbol on the door in chalk. "That Zach fella's gonna be watchin' every road to the garden. So keep low and keep fast."

"Thanks, Ash." Andie said.

"Tell Cassie I say hey," He winked at her. "She probably don't remember but she came up through here when she died couple months back, when you so gracefully sucked her back down." He smiled. "She disappeared right out of my bar."

"Sounds about right," Andie smirked, bumping her fist against the one Ash was offering to her. "See you round."

"Probably." He opened the door for them.

Turning, Andie saw Pamela leaning around to kiss Dean. "No, no," Andie pulled her back by her _Ramones_ shirt. "Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can feel up my stuff."

Pamela smiled, held off and then hugged Andie. "You seem good, kiddo," She pressed a kiss against her cheek and squeezed her shoulders. "I'll tell your mum I saw you."

Andie did a double take. "You-you know my mother?"

"Hell, yeah. With all that stuff you told me about her last time we talked, I had to look her up once we got here." Pamela brushed a hair from Andie's eyes. "Man, is she proud of you."

"Andie, we gotta go," Dean was calling from the open door.

Andie didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay and talk more with Pamela. Not just about her mother, but about everything. Having the baby, all her weird angel powers, having Ellie back, Cass's new power; everything. Even though Andie hadn't know her long; she'd divulged her darkest secrets to Pamela, maybe it had been because at the time she was blind and Andie somehow saw this as a comfort. But even now, eyes back in place, Andie still wanted to talk to her, like a friend.

But she couldn't.

For the second time since Andie had been up here, she threw her arms around Pamela and hugged her as tight as she had her mother. Such shows of affection were generally very awkward for Andie; but something about being up here made her lower those inhibitions. She pulled away from Pamela, who had that knowing smirk on her face, and then went back to Dean, feeling for the second time that day she was leaving something behind. Only this time; she was quite bothered by it.

**xxx**


	28. I've Just Seen A Face

_*finishes up Dark Side of the Moon, and then gets a little raunchy :)*_

**Chapter 28**

_I've Just Seen A Face_

Dean lead Andie and Sam away from The Roadhouse; but they had barely taken three steps before they were inside again. They were in a house; dark and gloomy with shadows creeping around ever piece of furniture. It was a drastic change of pace from the peaceful, enjoyable moments they'd had since arriving 'up here'. It only took Dean a second to realize; he was back home, in his living room. The same one he had been early in the day; with his mother making him sandwiches, hugging him and kissing his cheek.

"What the...?" He started as he stared curiously around the room. "Why are we back home?"

"I dunno..." Sam replied, looking just as puzzled. "What should we do?"

"Back outside, looking for the road again, I guess." Dean turned for the door, but stopped short when he saw his mother, Mary, in her white nightgown approaching him.

"Honey, why are you up?" She asked softly.

"Look, I'm sorry, I love you," Dean said quickly. "But you're not real. And we don't have time-"

"Did you have a nightmare?" Mary smiled comfortingly. "Tell me."

Dean found it hard to look away from her; she was so beautiful. "I gotta go." He said hurriedly.

"Then how about I tell you _my_ nightmare, Dean?" Mary said, in the same sweet voice, but her eyes became clouded and scared. "The night I burned."

Dean's eyes rounded on his mother's stomach as a dark, red stain began to spread across her nightgown. The fear of that night he lost her rushing back to his mind, Dean took a huge step back. "Let's get out of here," He said to Sam and Andie.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Mary snapped at him. "I never loved you."

Bile rose in Dean's throat making him lurch slightly. "She's lying." Andie said immediately, coming to his side. "She's not real; it's a trick."

"You were my burden." Mary continued. "I was shackled to you." She blinked; and her once glistening eyes turned a sickly yellow colour. "And look where it got me."

"Dean?" Andie stood in front of him, blocking his view of her. "Do _not_ listen to her."

It took all his strength for Dean to tear his eyes away from his mother and look to Andie; her eyes were almost as fierce as Mary's; but there was no evil in them; just concern. A sudden crash made the pair jump. The room was shrouded in a neon green colour and the windows suddenly were walled in with thick layers of bricks.

Mary smiled, and blinked again, her eyes return to their human form. "The worst was the smell." She said. "The pain? Well, what can you say about your skin bubbling off... but the smell was so..." Her smile became almost nostalgic. "You know, for a second I thought I'd left a pot roast burning in the oven. But it was _my_ meat," Her smile vanished. "And then finally, I was dead."

Dean took Andie's arm and shifted her back to his side, but he didn't loosen his tight grip on her; he needed her to be right there, because he wasn't sure what was going to happen.

"The one silver lining," Mary was sickeningly enjoying the tortured looks on Sam and Dean's faces. "Was that at least I was away from you." She sighed. "Everybody leaves you, Dean, you noticed? Mummy, Daddy, even Sam, and the little wifey... ever ask yourself why?" She paused. "Maybe it's not them. Maybe... it's you." She smiled evilly.

"Easy now, kitten," Zachariah's arrogant voice seeped into the room.

Dean's jaw clenched almost as tightly as he was holding Andie; suddenly everything made sense. "You did this." He growled.

Zachariah grinned. "And I'm just getting started! I mean, you guys, come on," He chuckled. "Did you really think you could just sneak past me into Mission Control?"

"You son of a bitch." Sam cursed through tight lips, and he lunged for the angel, but was immediately held back by a demon who popped up out of nowhere and held him still. Two other demons were holding back Dean and Andie in the same way.

"I don't know about you, Sam," Zachariah continued. "But I have actually grown quite fond of your mother," He turned to Mary, and brushed her hair off her shoulder. "Or at least the blessed memory of her." He leant in and kissed her neck, making her moan in pleasure.

Dean felt physically ill, having to turn away and squint his eyes shut to keep from vomiting.

"I think we're gonna be logging _a lot_ of quality time together," Zachariah smirked. "I've discovered...she's quite the MILF."

Dean's whole body flinched, and he felt Andie's hand flex in his grasp. Then the whole room shook as though it had been hit by an earthquake. It was just for a second; but it was enough to rattled Zachariah. "That you?" Dean murmured out of the corner of his mouth to Andie.

"I dunno, I think so." She said back through gritted teeth, her expression was uncertain.

"Gloat all you want, you dick." Dean cursed to Zachariah before he could make a move on Andie and her power. "You're still bald."

"In heaven I have six wings and four faces; one of which is a lion." He gestured to his body. "You see this because you're...limited." He looked longingly at Mary; and she looked at him with lust-filled eyes. Then he snapped his fingers, and she disappeared. "Let's start talking, shall we?" He said officially.

"What, are you gonna ball-gag us until we say yes?" Dean smirked. "Yeah, I've heard that- ugh!" He was cut off by Zachariah's iron fist socking him heavily in the stomach, causing him to buckle over.

"I'm gonna do more than that, I've cleared my schedule. Get him up." He ordered the demon guard behind Dean, who roughly grabbed the back of his jacket and forced him to stand upright, just so Zachariah could punch him again. "Lemme tell you something; I was on the fast track once. Employee of the Month, every month, forever. I'd walk these halls and people would AVERT THEIR EYES! AND TREAT ME WITH RESPECT!" He roared his final comments at Sam. "And then they assigned me you," He narrowed his eyes at Dean. "Now look at me?" He almost laughed. "I can't close the deal on a couple of flannel-wearing maggots? Everybody's laughing at me... and they're right to do it." His eyes fell downcast for a mere second. "So! Say yes, don't say yes, I'm still gonna take it outta your asses. It's personal now, and the last person in the history of creation that you want as your enemy, is me. And I'll tell you why. Lucifer may be strong... but I'm petty. I'm gonna be the angel on your shoulder for the rest of eternity."

"Excuse me? Sir?" Another voice called from behind Zachariah. The voice belonged to a middle-aged black man who seemed quite frail compared to Zachariah. And in contrast, his face was kind and welcoming. "I need to speak to those three for a moment."

"I'm in a meeting!" Zachariah snapped irritably.

"It's a bad time, I know," The kind man (or angel, presumably), replied with a smile. "But I'm afraid I have to insist.

Zachariah laughed. "You don't get to insist Jack Squatt."

"You're right... but the Boss does. His orders."

Zachariah's confidence faded. "You're lying."

"Wouldn't lie about this." The man said. "Look; fire me if you want, but sooner or later He's gonna come back home, and you know how he is with that whole... _wrath_ thing."

Dean looked between them, trying to gauge what the hell kind of relationship they had, who was the one in charge, who took the orders? From the way Zachariah was quaking; this new guy clearly made him nervous. After a few seconds of silence, Dean felt the demon arms holding him back vanish; all three demons and Zachariah were gone; and the room transformed into a stunning garden right before Dean's eyes.

It was unlike anything Dean had seen before. Everything was green and lush; at the height of its growth. Flowers were at their brightest, trees were at their tallest, butterflies were circling above in harmony with songbirds, weaving between branches, their colours almost sparkling off the brilliant sunlight that seemed to bathe every inch of the garden. Andie was unable to keep a smile off her face, one that spread to Dean as he watched her extend her finger to a black and sparkling blue butterfly resting on a large leaf, it fluttered around Andie's head as she approached and then landed on her finger, making her giggle.

"This is heaven's garden?" Sam asked as the trio approached the black man, who was standing in the centre of a clearing with a serene smile on his face.

"You see what you want to here," He explained as the butterfly took off Andie's finger and joined a rabble of it's mates in the trees. "For some it's God's throned room, for others it's Eden, you two I believe it's the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, you came here on a field trip."

Dean suddenly felt foolish. What he'd perceived as sunlight, was actually reflection of the huge dome covering the entire garden.

Sam smiled at the man. "You're Joshua." He deduced.

"I'm Joshua." He smiled.

"So... you're the one who," Andie wasn't sure how to phrase it, so she just said it as clear as possible. "Who talks to God?"

"Mostly, He talks to me."

"Well, ah, we need to speak to him," Sam said hurriedly. "It's important."

"Where is he?" Dean asked.

"On Earth."

Andie raised her eyebrows. "Doing what?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know where on Earth?" Sam asked.

"No, sorry," Joshua said. "We don't exactly speak face to face."

"I don't get it," Dean spoke up. "God's not talking to nobody so-"

"So why is He talking to me?" Joshua finished. "I sometimes think it's because I can sympathize. Gardener to gardener. And between us? I think he gets lonely."

"Well, my heart's breaking for him." Dean deadpanned quietly.

"Can you at least get him a message for us?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Actually, he has a message for you." Joshua said, to three suddenly expectant faces. "Back off."

Dean looked between Andie and Dean for a moment, "What?" He asked Joshua.

"He knows already." Joshua explained. "Everything you want to tell Him. He knows what the angels are doing. He knows that the apocalypse has begun. He just doesn't think that it's... _His_ problem."

"_Not his problem_?" Dean repeated incredulously.

Joshua's calm face suddenly became very dark. "God saved you already." He curtly reminded Dean. "He put you all on that plane." He turned to Andie. "He's allowing you to keep your powers even though you show no willingness to learn. He brought back Castiel. He granted you salvation in Heaven." He glared at Sam. "And after everything _you've_ done, too. It's more than he's intervened in a _long_ time." He took a deep breath. "He's finished. You won't be able to find Him."

"But He can stop it," Dean said. "He can stop all of it!"

"I suppose He could," Joshua considered. "But He won't."

"Why not?"

"Why does He allow evil in the first place?" Joshua pointed out. "You could drive yourself nuts asking questions like that."

"So He's just gonna sit back and watch the world burn?"

"I know how important this was to you, Dean. I'm sorry."

"Forget it." Dean sneered. "Just another deadbeat Dad with a bunch of excuses. I'm used to that. I'll muddle through."

"Except... you don't know if you can this time..." Joshua's eyes were grave. "Now... you have so much more to lose, Dean. You see, you fear that you can't father your child, you worry you'll just make the same mistakes that _your_ father made with you... and that there isn't enough time for you to make things right." He looked sorrowful. "You can't kill the Devil; and you're losing faith, in yourself. Your brother... now this..." He shook his head. "God was your last hope, I just. I wish I could tell you something different."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Sam asked carefully.

Joshua was offended. "You think that I would lie?"

"It's just... you're not exactly the first angel we've met."

"I'm rooting for you three!" Joshua exclaimed joyfully. "I wish I could do more to help you; I do. But..." He looked to his garden. "I just trim the hedges."

"So, what now?" Dean asked through the lump in his throat.

"You go home, again." Joshua said as he began walking away down the garden path. "And I'm afraid this time won't be like the last." He halted. "This time... God wants you to remember." He held up his hand; bathing the trio in a light so bright none of them could keep their eyes from pulling shut.

Dean awoke gasping for breath, feeling as though he'd been underwater for too long. He was back in his hotel room bed, surrounded by empty beer cans. Sam was next to him, gasping just as heavily, with huge holes in his shirt and bloodstains across the fabric. Quickly checking himself, Dean realized he had similar holes in his own clothes. He remembered the two men coming into the room; their shotguns, how they'd fired at Dean without a hint of mercy, Sam, too.

"Ohhh!"

A third gasp caught Dean's attention; Andie was on the floor at the foot of both of the beds with spilled bags of shopping at her feet. "You alright?" he asked her.

"Define alright." She repeated rubbing at a bump on her head. "Oh!" She clutched her stomach.

"Hey, you're pregnant again," Dean noted as he got to his feet. "She kicking?"

"Yes, very hard." Andie whined, reaching her hands up for Dean to help her up. "Oh, God," She caught sight of the blood on his chest and looked over at Sam. "I remember... you two were bleeding..." She flung her arms around Dean. "I hate dying all the time, Dean," She complained. "It's getting old."

Dean hugged her tightly. "Well; we're still alive," he sighed. "I guess that's something."

"Ow," She replied, suddenly pulling away and touching her abdomen.

"What?"

"She kicked my bladder and now I have to pee." Andie had to quick-run to the bathroom.

Dean shrugged off his shirt. He had no injuries, but the blood had seeped through his clothes onto his skin. He was half-listening to Sam, who was starting to pack up their stuff, talking about getting on the road before nightfall. Dean waited until he heard the toilet flush before knocking on the bathroom door. She told him to enter, so he told Sam he was taking a shower and slid into the bathroom, resting his head against the closed door.

Andie was changing her clothes, too; she'd gotten some of Dean's blood on her. She was wearing just her bra and a pair of gray leggings as she ran her shirt under the tap to lift the stain. Dean eyed her belly; it was rounding by the day. Joshua's words repeated in his mind. He did worry about being a father. John was his hero; but he hadn't exactly given Dean the safest upbringing. Dean used to look back on it with pride; how cool was his Dad that he taught him how to use a shotgun? But Dean couldn't picture teaching his daughter anything like that. It was too dangerous. She needed to be safe; always. He had to protect her. And Joshua was right; Dean was losing faith that he'd be able to do that.

"Are you okay?" Andie asked after a minute of silence had passed, and Dean hadn't moved or spoken.

Dean couldn't answer. He tried to stop the lump forming in his throat; but he couldn't. All those images from heaven kept swimming around in his mind. Ash, Pamela... his mother... he knew she'd been coaxed by Zachariah, but it had still been _her_ voice saying those cruel things. He didn't know how to put into words what was racing through his brain, so instead he said nothing. And Andie let him be silent. He loved her so much in that moment, and hoped his glistening eyes would beckon her.

They did.

Andie approached Dean slowly, and ran her hands up his chest as she reached him. He leant forwards and caught her kiss, pressing his tongue into her mouth and letting it meld with her own. She pulled Dean's checked shirt off his back and then lifted the hem of his wife-beater up over his head, revealing his soft, muscled chest, free from the gunshot wounds the clothing had implied.

Dean wrapped his arms around her, letting them slip down to the curve of her womanly hips to press her gently against his body. He pushed up off the door and directed her into the shower, turning on the taps to muffle the sounds to come. As the water ran over his back, Dean tugged down Andie's leggings and panties, letting them fall into the corner of the shower as she undid the buttons of his jeans. Her body glistened in the dimly lit bathroom, tantalizing Dean's every sense. She smelled incredible; he had to have her. He stepped out of his jeans and kicked them towards her leggings as he cupped Andie's chin in his hands and kissed her full on the mouth; his lips between hers sucking gently but eagerly. His cool skin warmed as his hands travelled from her face down her body, grazing her breasts and settling on her hips where he lifted her up off her feet and pressed her back against the cool tiles of the shower wall. The water spilled across his back as he felt Andie's knees squeeze him tightly around his middle, holding them in position, for him to slip inside her. An intoxicating purr emanated from Andie's throat as Dean rocked inside of her, addicted to every inch of her body and soul.

Dean's mouth pushed against Andie's as he tensed, his body seizing in fervor, as she clutched his hair just above his neck and tugged it gently. Letting go; she let her hands slide down to Dean's toned, bronze chest so his strong arms were carrying her full weight. Her knees tightened their grip on Dean's waist as he moved both hands to her lower back to keep her place. They never lost their momentum and never detached from their kiss. A guttural moan reverberated from Dean's throat onto Andie's lips; he could feel her mouth curl up on to side into that half-smile he adored. Sensing an oncoming spasm; Dean had no choice but to press Andie back against the wall and hold her tightly as his thrusts quickened and her moans of his name became more breathless. His mind blanked when they reached the ultimate point of their animalistic act. He wasn't sure how; but when his mind returned he was sinking to the floor, Andie still clutching his body with her strong limbs. He rolled over so his back was pressing against the dampened tiles, she moved with him staying together as she straddled his body and she tried to catch her breath. She leant her head against his chest as Dean cuddled her as close to his body as he could, stroking the skin of her shoulder in concentric circles. His eyes closed as his heartbeat still thumped loudly in his chest as the flowing water showered down on their spent, contented bodies.

Dean sighed in peace, faith or no faith; she was worth every fucking second.

**xxx**


	29. She Said She Said

_*This story is probably thanks to my recent re-watching of The Ring movies, hope you like_

_Thanks to Andi, who let me borrow Van again, and Debbie, who helped me form the idea behind this one*_

**Chapter 29**

_She Said She Said_

Andie was tired of being pregnant, and not just because it _made _her tired. She was getting weird smiles from strangers, people thought her belly was public property, and she couldn't sit down without the kid punching her bladder and forcing her to make another trip to the bathroom. It had been exciting when the baby had first started moving, but now it was getting a little old. Every time Dean roared the Impala's engine to life, the baby would jump, which made Andie jump, and generally involved yet another visit to the bathroom. The kicking woke her up during the night if she was in an uncomfortable position, as well as every time she ate something the baby didn't agree with. It was a good thing, apparently, that the baby was so active, but Andie spent half the mentally locating the closest rest room.

As well as constant kicking, Andie needed new clothes again. She hated everything she'd bought in her mad Famine-induced shopping spree with Aurora. She'd actually bought florals - _florals_. So she was currently in line at a maternity store with a handful of shirts that she was surprised she liked. They reminded her of the dresses women wore in the seventies, long and flowy with geometric patterns on them. She also picked up another baby book, taking her collection to two. This one was called _The Home Stretch _and was all about the third trimester; Andie was a week away from it. She was flipping through it when the baby suddenly kicked again, so suddenly that Andie dropped the book.

"I'll get it," The woman behind her in line said kindly, bending down around her stroller and grabbing the book. "It's hard to bend when you get to that size." She smiled and handed the book to Andie.

"Thanks," Andie glanced at her baby in the stroller, he was pretty big for it she thought, but she didn't say anything. She'd learnt people were not all that thrilled to hear criticism of their children. Andie also noticed that the woman had a slight baby bump. "Wow, you're having a second one?"

"A fourth, actually." She said. "Jeffrey's my third," She bent down and straightened her son's blanket across his chest. "The other two are in school; thankfully."

"You have _four_?" Andie's eyes bulged.

The woman laughed. "Yes," She touched her stomach. "This one was a surprise, but we're raising three, a fourth shouldn't be that much different. And this one's a girl; finally."

"So's mine." Andie said.

"It's exciting, isn't it? I'm Elaina." She introduced herself.

"Andie."

"So, Andie, does your little girl have a name yet?"

"Ah, no, not yet."

"Smart. I don't understand these women who can pick the name before the baby's born."

Andie just nodded, she really had nothing to add.

"How far along are you? Thirty weeks?"

"Twenty-four." Andie replied, wondering if she was bigger than she should have been.

"Oh, right on the cusp of the home stretch, huh?" Elaina smiled. "You must be so over it."

"Yes, I am." Andie admitted.

"It's a great milestone to get to, don't get me wrong, but ugh, the doctor's visits really amp up, don't they?" Elaina's cell phone started ringing; she dug around in her handbag looking for it. "I mean the tests, checking for diabetes, kick-counting, GBS, NST, CST?" She rolled her eyes. "Forgive me, I'm just bitching because I'm about to do it for the fourth time," She checked her phone. "Excuse me, it's my husband," She said turning and answering the call.

Andie had been lost in their conversation since she said kick-counting. Did that mean counting all the baby's kicks? Was she meant to be doing that? The kid kicked all the time; was that good? Or did it mean she wasn't positioned right, or something? And what the hell were GBS, NST and CST? Elaina had said them like they were common, were they? Should she know these things? Andie quickly flicked to the back of the book in her hand to the Glossary and relaxed slightly when she saw kick-counting and NST (Non-Stress Test) in there; hopefully she'd learn more after reading this thing.

However it was becoming clear that Andie would have to do the one thing she'd been avoiding for almost six months; go to the doctor.

**xxx**

When Andie came barrelling back into the motel room of the moment (a nice one this time, Dean and Andie got a room for themselves), she was convinced that there was something wrong with her baby. She had no fact to base this on other than that she had never been to a doctor since she found out she was pregnant, but that was enough.

"Dean, we have to go to the doctor!" She announced as she came in, tossing her bags of new clothes on the table half-spilling across Sam's lap, he was eating lunch.

"Why, what's wrong?" Dean asked, eying her up and down as he came in from the kitchenette.

"Nothing; and that's the problem." Andie said. "Do you know we should have picked a doctor by now? Hell; we don't have a crib! We don't have a changing table! We don't even have baby clothes or-or even know what a baby wears! I could have diabetes!"

Dean was nothing but puzzled. "Ok... calm it down, Morgan; we'll go to a doctor tomorrow, okay?"

Andie took a deep breath. "Ok... why tomorrow?"

"You have a visitor." Sam said with a smile as he bit into his cheeseburger.

For the first time, Andie looked at him and noticed that he had someone sitting beside him. "Van?" Andie did a double take. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Preggo," Van grinned. "A little heads up about the infant woulda been nice, y'know?"

Andie smiled, she hadn't seen her friend, who normally spent her time as a Professor, in awhile; but she still looked the same. Same long brown hair, sparkling brown eyes and smirking-smile. "When did you get here?" Andie asked.

"About an hour ago."

"She brought lunch; I like her." Sam said as he took another bite of his burger.

Andie eyed her suspiciously; Van never just 'showed up'. "What's wrong?"

Van didn't bother holding back "The Dog; he's back." She told her. "Well; he _was _back. Now he's just missing."

Andie's eyes widened. "Missing?"

"The town is currently in the midst of a little supernatural whoopsido. Well, no one else seems to think so, but I just know better." Van smirked.

Andie sighed. "Clearly."

Dean cleared his throat from. "I'll ask the obvious question here... The Dog?"

"His real name is Jack Russell." Andie explained. "So, I call him The Dog."

"Ohhh," Van laughed. "You don't know about The Dog." She shook her head at Dean. "Lucky you."

"Shut up, Van." Andie snapped.

"Who is he?" Dean asked curiously.

Van laughed again. "Ha, look how nervous he gets!" She nudged Sam.

"Oh, Van," Andie closed her eyes and shook her head. "You suck."

"He's Andie's ex." Van told Dean. "And he. Was. _Fine_."

Andie let herself drift back to her memory of Jack, man, he'd been fantastic. "Wow... haven't thought about him in a long time."

"Ok, do I want to hear this?" Dean asked.

"Oh, Dean there was just something about him... he had a cape and wore a kilt." Andie smiled fondly. "I met him when I lived on the street."

"Suddenly the cape makes sense." Dean muttered, inciting a thwack on the chest from Andie.

"He was gorgeous." Van added. "He's an American, went to Oz to make it big as a musician, it bombed so eventually he came back here and broke our beloved Morgan's heart." She put on a frowny-face.

"He did not "break my heart," Andie used air-quotes. "He "sold my car". Used the money to leave the country. He was smart enough not to take Jeremy," Andie sighed at the memory of her old motorbike. "

Van chuckled. "He was one of the reasons she came here, y'know, to get back at him. She was halfway into her revenge when I met her."

"Revenge?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"I got him drunk and shaved his head." Andie admitted. "He looked ridiculous with that mohawk anyway."

"And then she sent the hair back to him in an envelope," Van continued. "It was all very _Fatal Attraction_."

"So!" Andie cut in, eager not to let her somewhat insane misspent younger years become public knowledge. "He's missing?"

"Yeah," Van grabbed for her shoulder bag and rifled through it. "I wasn't even looking for a case and one kinda fell into my lap. I overheard one of my students talking about it, chalked it up to myth. Then The Dog disappeared." She handed Andie a stackfull of papers. "Evil video tape ring a bell?"

"An evil video tape?" Andie repeated as she took the file. "Like The Ring?"

"I hate that movie." Sam muttered.

"That's 'cos it made you scream like a girl." Andie mumbled as she flipped through the file; it was full of missing person's reports. All young adults, men and women. "They're all dead?"

"No, that's just it." Van said. "They're gone. At first I thought it was just a rip off rumour the kids were trying to start, but I looked into it. It's real, and Urban Legend about a tape that only shows static."

"Static?"

"Yeah, apparently it sucks you in, hypnotizing you so you can't look away." Van explained. "And everyone who watches it disappears. And rumour has it; every one of those Missing Persons watched the tape."

"How do you know The Dog watched it?" Andie asked.

"He called me, the day before he went missing." Van replied. "Said Emma, the girl he's seeing, gave it to him. Now, they're both gone."

"What was he even doing there?" Andie couldn't fathom why he'd just shown up. But then again, that was kind of the way he was.

"I saw him on campus about a month ago, visiting his girlfriend I guess. He remembered me." She shrugged. "Not for nothing; but he is looking _hot_ right now. He's got this whole grunge look about him now. Anyway, I went to his apartment, he wasn't there, obviously, but there was uneaten dinner on the table, candles burned out; like someone just up and left."

"Ok..." Andie sighed and folded her arms up on top of her tummy. "So, we need to find the tape."

"Way ahead of you." Van pulled a black cassette tape from her bag. "It was still in his VCR."

"Have you watched it?" Dean asked, picking up the tape.

"No, I'm not missing, am I?"

"I've been researching it," Sam said to Andie. "The myth is real; it claims that if you watch the static on for long enough, it'll suddenly pause and everything goes silent, then the static starts to move, like it's alive."

"The rumour the students are running with is that the last thing you see before you disappear is a man, like in the reflection of the television in the static, standing behind you." Van continued. "They call him a ghost; I call him a demon."

"We think the tape is a lure." Dean said, placing the tape back onto the table, he didn't really want it around if it was cursed. "People get suckered into watching it, demon waits and then snatches 'em up."

"Why?" Andie wondered aloud.

Van frowned. "Dunno yet, but Sammy here," She clapped her hand on his shoulder. "Thinks we should go back to the apartment so he can do his whole _Ghostbusters_ thing to check, we'll go tomorrow, the cops are running circles over the place right now."

Andie picked up the tape and twirled it between her forefingers. "I wonder how long it's been circulating?"

"Who knows; but at least it's stopped." Dean said. "For now, anyway."

Andie shook her head back and forth. "Evil videotapes... you'd think they'd switch to DVD's." She quipped, and then the baby kicked her. "Sonuva..." She growled, the tape slipped from her fingers and hit the table, cracking in two. "I would like one hour to go by without you kicking me," She touched her belly.

"Maybe she was helping," Sam said, picking up the two pieces of the cassette. "Look here," He pulled at the black ribbon of film sticking out of the broken case; there were markings on it.

"Don't tell me those are sigils." Dean said, inspecting it closer. "Man, demons are getting smarter..."

"What do they say?" Andie asked, symbols were not really her thing unless they were a devil's trap.

Van peered in with Sam to inspect them. "I don't recognize it..." She muttered. "It's gotta be old... really old..." She rose to her feet. "I have some books in my car that might help..."

"You're staying?" Andie asked her.

"Yeah, if not to find The Dog, then to see how you manage with that thing," She pointed to her belly. "You look cute, by the way."

"Thank you." Andie mumbled.

"You do look cute," Dean pursed his lips together in a silly kissing face and moved to peck her on the cheek.

Andie swatted him away. "Go away." She scowled, but he ducked through her hand and kissed her regardless. "I don't like you this way," Andie gestured to him. "It's creepy."

Dean pouted. "Well, lemme go get my cape and you can shave my head." He said bitterly.

"Don't be silly," Andie said with a smile. "You'd look awful bald." He just sulked in reply.

"You hurt his feelings." Sam said as he got his computer up and running.

The baby nudged Andie again. "Yeah, and the Bug agrees with you."

"The Bug, The Dog, what is with your nicknames?" Sam asked.

Andie paused. "I dunno. I guess I'm not very good at them... I've never given you one..." She eyed him intently. "How about... Tall..." She bit her lip. "Hm... Tall... I'm out, you just stay Sam."

Sam chuckled. "Will do."

**xxx**


	30. Madman

_*Thanks to Andi for letting me borrow Van again*_

**Chapter 30**

_Madman_

"Well..."Dean said as they approached the parking lot, where the Impala was definitely the most coveted vehicle in the lot; passersby were giving it the once over, until Dean shooed them away. "That was... something..."

Andie just stared over the bonnet of the car at him. "Something? I just let a perfect stranger get to third base with me, it was awful."

"She was a doctor." Dean pointed out.

"Doesn't make me feel any less violated." Andie pouted and climbed into the passenger's seat in a huff.

"Drop the mood, would you Andie, please?" Dean begged as he got behind the wheel. "She said everything with the Bug is fine. No diabetes, not disfigurements or diseases." He yanked the ultrasound photo from the inside of his pocket. "Look; she even has your wavy grey lines." He smiled proudly at the picture, which was slightly blurry since the baby kept moving away from the ultrasound wand, her lower half was all blurred, even her arms as though she was waving really fast. But her head was very clear, Dean could even see the outline of her lips.

Andie just rolled her eyes and pouted some more. She had never liked doctors. And even though the one she had just seen had been perfectly lovely; she made Andie feel like a complete failure. She talked about birthing classes as though Andie should already be in them, she rattled off birthing positions and exercises that Andie assumed she was expected to know. And she couldn't ask questions, she was supposed to have been seeing a doctor regularly, and this having been her first time she had to pretend she was a natural, even though inside she was a giant question mark.

Perhaps what added to that was now she'd actually _seen_ the baby, the reality was sinking in.

Andie had had to act like it wasn't brand new for her (women as far along as she was should have had an ultrasound already), but it was. Her heart was racing, she hadn't been ready to see her baby, and she hadn't prepared for it. She knew what it would look like from pictures in her books, but _her_ baby, her _own_ child, that would solidify this whole thing. Not that she didn't _believe_ the baby would come out, of course she would, but there was some ignorance in it; despite her bulging belly Andie hadn't actually _seen_ the baby, so maybe it wasn't really there after all.

Now she had seen her. Now it was real. And now, Andie was more terrified than she'd ever felt in her life.

**xxx**

Sam sat shotgun with Van as they travelled to Jack's apartment. The same rules applied as they did in Dean's car. Van picked the music, Sam shut his cakehole. Well, about the music at least; he was free to talk about anything else, especially if it pertained to the case. He still hadn't been able to identify the scripture on the film of the tape; and he hoped maybe there was something at Jack's home that could help him out.

They arrived and Van and Sam got organized. Shotguns with salt bullets, iron daggers, and Sam's EMF reader, and then they head inside. The police had cleared out; but the place was still taped off with yellow Do Not Cross strips across the door; but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out to just duck underneath them.

"Living room's in there," Van pointed, keeping her voice low, she didn't want the neighbours to hear and then call the police and ruin her whole plan. "That's where I found the tape." Sam nodded and took out his EMF reader. "This is Emma," Van noted as she spotted a Polaroid photograph stuck with a pin to the bulletin board by the door. "She's pretty." Her eyes flickered to Jack. "Wow... so is he..." Van stuffed the photo into her jacket and followed Sam. "Anything?"

Sam sighed deeply and let the EMF fall to his die. "Nada."

"So not a ghost," Van slung her shotgun over her back and squatted down in front of the TV. "With the symbols I'm gonna go with demon."

"Or Angel." Sam muttered. "Dunno why they'd kidnap humans, though..."

Van flipped her hair over her shoulder and rounded her brown eyes on him. "Angels?" She repeated. "I know they're not squeaky clean but you think they'd actually cull human lives?"

Sam shrugged. "A year ago I would have said no... but with everything that's happened..." He sighed. "I've learned angels can be as dangerous as demons if they want to be."

"Fabulous." Van deadpanned as she approached the book case. It wasn't full; but he had some pretty good novels on there.

"So what do you know about this guy?" Sam asked as he ducked behind the television to check out the wiring.

"Not much that'll be of any use," Van admitted. "I knew him when he was The Dog. Mohawk, cape, kilt... from the looks of him now he's not that guy anymore."

Sam felt around the sides of the television cabinet, his fingers grazed something velvet, he knew what it was before he had pulled it out. "Hex bag." He said to Van, tossing it to her, impressed when she caught it swiftly with one hand.

"People don't normally stash their own hex bags in places like that," Van noted as she knelt before the coffee table to lay out the insides of the bag. "I'd say it was planted." She untied the limp string holding the fabric together and let it unfold on the table. "Hm..." She mumbled as she eyed the contents, thinking it best to remove a pen from her pocket and forage around with that rather than actually touch anything.

"What's in it?" Sam asked, sliding the cabinet back to where it had been.

"Looks like dried Ague weed..." Van said as she poked at a dried, lilac flower with closed petals. "It's North American... used in Dark Magic, causes people to become extremely confused..."

"No, not just any people," Sam squatted down across from her. "Enemies."

"You're right..." Van realized, finding another familiar dried flower. "Patchouli, it's a common flower used in spells to ward off evil... this isn't a hex bag."

"It's for protection." Sam concluded. "Someone knew he was in danger."

"Or _he_ knew." Van suggested. "He knew Andie was into some weird crap when they were together... for all we know he kept delving into it..." She bit her lip and tied the hex bag back up. "Hell, maybe he's even a hunter now. He's protecting himself." She rose and went back to looking at the bookshelf, noticing a few foreign texts she had in her own collection. Not commonplace bookshelf items.

Sam stood in the centre of the room and took a deep breath. "Ok... so Jack and Emma are in here... they watch the tape and then, what, they just disappear on the spot? Without leaving residue or even scuff marks..."

"Huh, check it out," Van said with a smile as she pulled a book from the bookshelf. "I gave Andie this book for Christmas..." Her smile faded when she noticed her own inscription on the inside of the book. "Hang on... this _is _the book I gave to Andie!" She snapped it shut. "That little punk; he's a thief!" She thrust the book towards Sam, and as she did so a photo fluttered from pages.

"What is it?" Sam asked as he took the book from Van and she picked up the photo.

"Aw... he's a nostalgic thief." Van muttered as she ran her fingers over a photo of The Dog and Andie; back when he was indeed The Dog, bright blue Mohawk and lime green cape, draped around Andie's shoulders in the photo. Both of them were making weird faces, Andie was still in her dirty-goth phase in a sleeveless black tank top and torn black jeans, scribbling up and down her arms. Andie wasn't big on tattoos, but she used, and allowed others to use, her skin as a canvas. Like people do a cast on a broken bone; only sans the broken bone.

"Something to remember her by?" Sam guessed. "Maybe she gave it to him."

"No," Van shook her head. "Andie was a lot of things back then, but she doesn't give gifts away. Ever. I have visions of her in eighty years as a hoarder still keeping

"Maybe... he must have taken this before she came back for her 'revenge'..." Van realized. "Although if she'd shaved my head I would've burnt everything I had on her..."

"What book is that, anyway?"

"It's a book on Runic translations."

"Runes?" Sam scrunched up his nose. "Andie was into that?"

Van shrugged. "She gives anything a go once..." A happy little memory flittered into Van's mind on one of their drunken evenings where they had where they really became more than friends for a few hours. They never spoke of it again, but Van was sure Andie recalled it fondly from time to time just as she did. "Anyway, I already had a copy and then won a free won in some contest, so I gave it to Andie."

"Andie doesn't carry books around."

"She doesn't do a lot of things, anymore." Van muttered vaguely as she slipped the book into Sam's hands to continue searching the house.

Not wanting to pry, Sam just let her go and kept looking around the living room. He realized what he thought was a carpeted floor was actually a large floor rug – and it had been moved. It was sticking underneath the couch on one side while the other was on the wooden panel floor. Nudging the arm of the couch with his knee, Sam gasped when he saw something etched into the wood underneath the couch. "Van!" He called, lifting the couch and sliding it all the way back.

"Oh, God..." Van said as she came in, her eyes fixated on the etchings burned into the wood.

"Pull back that rug." Sam instructed.

Van did so, revealing a large sigil burnt into the floor. It was similar to a Devil's Trap, but all the symbols were runes and odd shapes. "The tape." Van looked to Sam.

Following her train of thought, Sam yanked the tape from his pocket and held up the film so he could compare it to the markings on the floor. "It's the same." He said after a moment.

Van took a few pictures on her phone. "Definitely demonic..." She muttered, kneeling down to look closer. "I can't even understand most of it; but it's a trap. Binding. Playing the tape... I bet it's a trigger." She said a minute later. "Once the tape plays, the symbols sort of... connect. Freezing whoever's watching it in their place; easy for the demon to pick them up."

"What kind of demon?" Sam asked as they started to redress the crime scene; they didn't need the cops to think someone had broken in and messed around – even though they had. "Doesn't look familiar to me. I'll call Bobby and see if he's heard of anything like this."

"It might be just a random demon," Van shrugged. "Who's figured out a way to snatch people from the comfort of their living rooms..."

Sam gave her a skeptical look. "Come on, Van. Nothing is coincidental."

She smiled at him. "True."

**xxx**

Sam and Van arrived back at the motel an hour later to find Dean sitting back with a beer and a newspaper. "Hey," He greeted them. "Find anything?"

"Thought you were going to meet us at Jack's?" Sam asked as he shrugged off his jacket and held Van with hers.

"We were, but Cas came and took Andie off for more 'training', so I came back here." Dean said, before swigging from his beer bottle.

"Training?" Van repeated, noticing this notion of Andie being gone didn't rattle either brother. "For what?"

"Her powers are wonky 'cos of the baby," Dean informed them. "He's trying to help her control it so she doesn't accidentally "wipe out a neighbourhood with a sneeze" - Cas's words, not mine. He said they wouldn't be long, but to Cas that could mean a week."

Sam looked wide eyed at Dean. "And you're okay with that?"

"No, but I didn't have much of a choice." Dean replied.

"So, what now you're just chilling out with a demon on the loose?" Van said. "Nice, Dean."

"FYI, I'm actually looking for something." He said, slapping the paper down on the table. "How much do you think a portable crib should cost?"

"Your... baby shopping?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Kid's gotta sleep somewhere." Dean replied defensively. "Want her sleeping in a drawer like I used to do with you?"

Sam did a double take. "What?"

"Never mind." Dean folded up the paper. "What did you two find?"

Van explained to him about the symbol they'd found on the floor, and showed him the photos on her phone as Sam called up Bobby. Van also handed Dean the book on Runes, and it didn't surprise her that the first thing he saw was the photo of Andie and Jack.

"This is The Dog?" Dean said with a laugh in his voice.

"Yeah, what he used to look like," Van rummaged in her pockets and fished out the photo of Jack and Emma she'd nicked from the apartment. "This is him now."

Dean pouted when he saw 'cleaned-up' Jack. "Huh..."

"Cute, isn't he?" Van teased.

"Friggin adorable," Dean spat, going back to his beer. But then something else caught his eye. Emma. "Hey, I've seen her..." He said, setting his beer down and going over to the table where Van had stashed all the missing persons reports.

Van was at his side when he pulled out a newspaper clipping. "_Girlfriend Fears For Missing Boyfriend's Safety_..." She read the headline. "Shit, it's her." She held up the photo of Jack and Emma.

"Connection." Dean said with a wry grin. "She's gotta be the key, I'll bet she's tied to all these people somehow." He rifled through the pages.

Van slid into the chair in front of Sam's laptop and got to work. "If they are, I'll find it." She said confidently.

"Bobby has a lead," Sam said as he came in from the kitchen. "Got your email with the picture of the etching on the floor," He said to Van. "Said it's old, _old_, world magic. Like back to the Sun and Moon Gods, old."

"Come again?"

"Jupiter. He was a God of electricity." Sam said. "All magic originates from somewhere, some of it goes into good people – like Andie, some goes into demons. Keeps the balance, I guess. Anyway, Bobby said that using the television and the tape is a sign of the electricity being used for evil"

"Well, this chick has something to do with it," Dean jabbed his finger at Emma. "But we still have no clue how to find her..."

Sam chewed his lip. "We could add bait." He said. "I can fix the tape, watch it and then follow her to wherever she's taking everyone else."

"That... is _not_ a good idea, Sam." Dean said, running his hand down his face. "Naw, we need something... someone who can deal with..." His head snapped up and he locked eyes with his brother. "Cass."

Sam looked puzzled. "How can he help?"

"No, Cassidy." Dean said. "She's all buzzed with electricity, right? Maybe she can bypass whatever hold this thing has?"

Sam nodded sharply. "So, you're fine with letting _Cassidy_ do this and not me?" he asked curtly.

"Yeah, actually I am." Dean replied calmly. "She has experience-"

"Oh, she does not; she hasn't had that power a year!" Sam snapped irritably. "What, do you think I can't handle being along with a demon? Think I'll snap it's neck and drink it's blood and go all crazy again."

Dean tried to keep himself steady, but his whole body tensed. "Sam. Stop it, ok? You know that's not what I meant. Just call Cassidy."

"You call her." Sam snipped and grabbed his jacket. "I'm going out."

"Sam, quit acting like a jerk!" He yelled after his brother, receiving a door slammed in his face as a response.

Van, who had been quiet during their argument, perked up. "Lover's quarrel?"

"Oh, bite my ass." Dean cussed at her and went back for his beer.

Van held up her hands. "You're mad at your brother, not at me, I forgive you." She smirked, and went back to work. Always watching, inspecting people, Van eyed Dean's movements and mannerisms as he tried to look like he wasn't stressed even though he clearly was. He was worried about his brother, this demon, Andie being gone, Van had to laugh at the last one (internally, of course). Three hours without her and he was drinking already. _That _was love... or loneliness, with Andie the two sometimes tied together. Whatever the reason, Van was glad she was happy, _finally_, because the girl in that picture with The Dog was almost the polar opposite of the women she saw today. Anger and turned into something else, something _unique_ and _stirring_. Dare she think it, but _hope_.

**xxx**


	31. I'll Keep You Satisfied

_*Thanks to Andi for letting me borrow Van again*_

**Chapter 31**

_I'll Keep You Satisfied_

Sam was sitting in the darkest corner of the corner bar, two empty beer bottles beside him and one half-full in his hand. Drowning his sorrows wasn't normally Sam's style, but as of late it was becoming more and more common for him. Dean's comment hadn't really bothered him this much; it was just the weight of everything. Hell; he'd just recently come off a demon blood rampage again, it wasn't exactly like flicking a switch; he couldn't go back to nice, normal, dependable Sam.

"You look lonely," A sweet voice said to him from across the booth.

Sam hadn't even registered Van coming into the bar, let alone sitting in front of him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to ignore the pitiful look she was giving him.

"I came looking for you." She said. "We found Emma has a connection to all the missing people. Friend, co-worker, one of them was even her old high school principal."

Sam raised his eyebrows at her expectantly. "And?"

"_And_ Dean thinks we can summon her back at Jack's place, last place she was." She paused. "But we need you for that, and we need you sober."

"I'm not drunk," Sam said stubbornly.

"Yeah, beer's not your thing really, is it?" Van smirked.

Sam scoffed at her. "Andie told you, huh?"

"Ruby, demon blood," Van nodded. "I get it."

Sam laughed humourlessly. "No, no you don't 'get it', Van."

"Well, then help me." Van suggested, leaning forwards. "What the hell is up with you?"

Sam took a long drink of his beer, set the bottle down and traced his thumb around the mouth of it. "My life... sucks." He said with a wistful smile. "I had everything once. I had a life. And now..." he shook his head. "Dean, he just... he has a wife, he's having a baby... why does he get to be happy and not me?"

Van narrowed her eyes at him. "You're jealous?"

Sam shrugged. "Wouldn't you be?"

"No!" Van flung herself back against her cushioned chair. "Would I want to go to Hell like Dean did? No. Would I want to be a lonely hitcher like Andie? No." She shook her head in disbelief. "All our lives suck; Sam, but they are _our_ lives. You don't like things? Then change it up! Do something different! Andie let go of her anger, and now she's happy! Dean stopped whoring himself around, now he's happy, too! But you? You're just a sad, mess of what I imagine _used_ to be a good man. Not a _hunter,_ but a _man._"

Sam glared at her. "You don't know me."

"I think I do. You think you hide yourself, but really it's written all over your pretty face," She gestured at her own delicate features. "You hate yourself, Sam. And to tell you the truth? I feel sorry for you."

**xxx**

Andie stood in the empty field, her hands bound behind her back, having to blow her hair out of her face due to her lack of control of her hands at the current time. "Is this really necessary?" She yelled over her shoulder.

"Yes." Castiel responded. "You always use your hands first; they need to be taken out of the equation for you to learn."

"Yeah, well, I wanna go on record as saying this is a sucky idea." Andie snapped as she stared down the path of a semi-trailer.

This was all Castiel's idea, he had popped up in the back of the Impala when Dean and Andie were on their way back from the doctor and told Andie she needed to 'train' some more, so here they were in an abandoned corn field with a truck Castiel had manifested from somewhere. His idea was to bind Andie's hands behind her back with abnormally firm ropes, stand her fifty feet from the truck, and then set it on her, forcing her to use her eyes to channel her power. In the past, being faced with impending danger had triggered her power, but Castiel's training was all about control.

"Are you ready?" Castiel stood off to the side of the path Andie was on.

"You promise you won't let it hit me if I can't do it?"

"You'll be able to do it." He said confidently.

"Ok, but promise." She said again, to which he cocked his head at her, she managed to wiggle her little finger out of her ropes, turned her back and wiggled it at him. "Pinky promise?"

"I don't understand." Castiel responded.

"Link your pinky with mine and say 'I promise I won't let you get steamrolled by this thing.'"

Confused, but compliant, Castiel walked to her side and looped his finger within her own. "I promise I won't let you get steamrolled by this thing." He said so nonchalantly Andie almost laughed.

"Ok, good." She smiled and pulled her finger back.

"What does that mean?" Castiel asked as he got back to his position.

"That if it _does_ actually hit me, I get to cut off your finger." Andie said smugly, but then her smile vanished. "Although you could probably just regenerate a new one so it kinda loses its sting... well, it's the thought that counts." She shrugged. "Don't let me die." She added, squaring her stance in front of the truck. "I'm ready."

Castiel turned to the truck telepathically started up its engine. It revved three times, and then shifted into gear and began roaring towards Andie.

Andie's felt confident, she knew she wouldn't get hurt (pinky promise aside), it was all about focus. The truck was coming right for her, she didn't have control of her hands so it was all up to her mind. She glared at the steel grill that was aimed straight for her chest. She narrowed her eyes, her heart racing so hard she could feel the vein throbbing in her forehead. It was mere metres from her now, she had to move it, it was speeding up...!

And then Andie squinted her eyes shut tight and turned her head away.

"Arh, dammit!" She cried, opening her eyes again to see the truck stalled less than a metre from her face. Her Achilles' heel; closing her eyes. If she closed them, her power worked, but she couldn't get it to work with her eyes open, which was the whole point of control. She wanted to be able to _see_ what she was doing.

"That was better." Castiel said happily; what passed for happy with him anyway. "Your stance is good. Perhaps if we force your eyes open-"

"No!" Andie said immediately. Castiel's original plan also included having her eyes forcefully held open. "Reverse that bitch; lay it on me again." She instructed him, although it was hard to emphasise her point without her hands.

Castiel did as she asked, reversing the truck back to its starting point.

This time, Andie blinked profusely as the truck came towards her, she kept her eyes on the driver's side, where she imagined an invisible man behind the wheel, she kept blinking until the force of the truck blew wind gusts that kept Andie's hair off her shoulders, and then she clenched her jaw, and felt the veins below her eyelids flicker ever so slightly.

And the truck stopped.

Like someone had just hit the break, but without screeching tires or billowing dust. Her power didn't slow it down; it stopped it dead in its tracks.

And Andie had _seen_ every second of it.

"I did it!" She jumped up and down jubilantly. "I did it!"

Castiel approached her, snapping his fingers and releasing her hands from the ropes.

"I did it!" She yelped again, flinging her arms around Castiel's stone body. "Oh!" She said a moment later. "Sorry." She retracted her arms from him. "I'm not normally like this," She patted her belly. "Hormones, I guess."

Suddenly, she missed her old self. Bar hopping, tequila slugging, drunken karaoke... kicking demons asses and leaving their smoky asses in her wake. It was hard to believe it had only been months ago that she'd been doing that. Now, she was just another pregnant woman. Conforming. Yuck.

**xxx**

Dean had called Cassidy, and after a barrage of insults, she had agreed to come and help. Apparently she was in the middle of helping Luka's mother with a bake sale of sorts, but she said she'd be there as soon as she could. So without Sam, without Van, and Andie still off training with Castiel, Dean was left to his own devices.

He'd read a hideously graphic chapter of Andie's latest baby book which explained in vivid detail just what would happen when she gave birth, and he silently thanked God he didn't have to do that. It was likely that from reading that chapter, and seeing those photos (not drawings, _photos_), that he was distracted and found himself flipping the so called evil tape over and over in his hands. Sam had fixed it, at least aesthetically. Who knew if it even worked again?

Feeling confident, maybe because there was no one around to disagree with him, Dean knelt in front of the television and slid the tape into the VCR. There was no guarantee it would even work, Sam had basically just glued it back together. So when a flickering image appeared on the screen, didn't think much of it. And then the static came, but the image was still there... something... behind the static... an object... a person?

There was something there, and Dean couldn't look away; but he didn't want to. He had to see what it was; what was on this thing? And then he saw it, clear as day. The static cleared and all he saw was his reflection; and behind him the image of a blonde. The blonde he knew as Emma. She was smiling devilishly at him; and yet he still couldn't move.

"Time to come home, Dean." Emma said sweetly, laying a hand on his shoulder.

In a blink; they were gone, leaving behind only a freshly burned binding sigil scorched onto the carpet.

**xxx**


	32. Chains

_*Thanks to Andi for letting me borrow Van again*_

**Chapter 32**

_Chains_

Cassidy bustled into town just after sunset in Luka's old jeep. She was all for demon fighting, but couldn't Dean have called after the bake sale? She had found it surprisingly fun, considering her own mother wasn't too fond of cooking anything that she could buy pre-packaged or have delivered, but Margaret was a real talent in the kitchen; and she loved having Cassidy to teach, especially considering Luka didn't care much to learn. However, Cassidy had been meaning to see Andie; it had been almost a month since she'd last seen her and she had a load of baby information to fill her friend's stubborn little head with.

Dean had given her directions to the hotel, and Cassidy found it without trouble. It was a ground level motel, so the parking spaces were right out the front of each room. Spotting the Impala was simple; Cass pulled the jeep up beside it, grabbed her satchel bag and headed for the front door. She knocked twice, but no one answered.

To the left of the door was a closed window, but the curtains were thin and transparent. Cass peered through them and saw nothing. Empty beds, empty table... sigil burned into the floor... "Uh-oh." She muttered, grabbing the door handle and summoned electricity through her fingers, sending a spark into the door lock and melting it. With a swift snap of her wrist, she'd opened the door and quickly moved in.

"Hello?" She called out, cautiously walking further into the room. "Andie? Sam?" When she was satisfied that she was alone, Cass knelt down on the floor in front of the sigil. "Dammit..." She muttered, running her fingers along the markings.

"Cass?"

Cassidy spun around on her haunches so fast she ended up on her backside. "Ow. Andie?" She got to her feet. "I didn't think anyone was here."

"I was with Castiel; he zapped me back here," Andie was grinning. "I channelled my power through my eyes, kept them open and everything- what the hell is that?" She pointed to the symbol of the floor.

"About to ask you the same thing." Cass said. "Dean called me and told me about the tape-"

"Where is he?"

"I dunno, I figured with you."

Andie gave her an odd look. "Oh, God." She groaned in realization. "_Oi_, what a _schmendrick_." She glared at the VCR, and the tape ejected itself. "He watched it." Andie snatched it from the machine. "I leave him alone for _one_ day – _one friggin day_ - and he watches an evil tape!" She wanted to break the damn tape to pieces.

Cass was distracted by a photo lying on the table. "Hey, who's this guy, he's hot."

"That's The Dog." Andie said dismissively as she dialled Dean's number on her cell phone.

"_The_ Dog?" Cass widened her eyes. "Wow... he is... wow..."

"Focus, Cass!" Andie snapped. "Dean is gone! Where's Sam? And Van?"

"I have no idea, the place was empty." Cassidy sat at the table and started to look through the missing persons reports. "Van's here?" She eyed a notepad with Van's handwriting scrawled on it. "Oh, yeh, this reeks of her."

Andie sighed. "I go away for a few hours and three people disappear." She mumbled to herself, sliding her phone back into her pocket.

"Use the force, Andie," Cassidy told her, jabbing her finger to her temple. "Locate them."

Andie took a steadying breath, closed her eyes, and thought of Sam. "He's in a bar." She scoffed under her breath. "Van's with him... which means they're drunk." She exhaled, and the baby kicked her sharply. "I know, Bug," She muttered to her belly. "Your father's an idiot."

"Speaking of!" Cassidy jumped to her feet and grabbed her bag. "I brought you this." She dug a VHS tape from her bag labelled "_Lola & Lyla_".

"A tape? Are you joking? Is this a gag?" Andie kept her arms folded.

"It's a birthing video. Lola's the mother, Lyla's the daughter. And I'd bet it's a helluva lot scarier than whatever's on the demon tape." Cass blanched.

"I'm don't wanna watch that," Andie said stubbornly.

"Well, neither did I, but the birthing coach said it's good preparation-"

"Birthing coach?" Andie repeated with a smirk. "Cass, you didn't go to a birthing class, did you?"

"Of course I did." Cass said defensively. "What if you go into labour right here right now? I'd know exactly what to do." She blanched again. "_Believe me_."

Giving in, Andie snatched the tape and tossed it onto the couch. "I can't sense Dean." She said, trying to get Cass back on track. "Which means he's being hidden."

"Well, going by that," Cassidy gestured her thumb over her shoulder at the sigil. "I'd say he's being bound somewhere."

Andie exhaled loudly. "Ok... Van's idea was to go to The Dog's apartment and summon the demon. Emma. So, let's do that."

"Shouldn't we call Van?" Cassidy asked as she gathered up her things. "I don't know her well, but won't she feel a little peeved that we're enforcing her idea without her?"

"Trust me," Andie pulled open the front door. "I think Sam needs her more than we do right now."

**xxx**

Coughing profusely, Dean managed to snap his eyes open as he tried to get up off his feet, but he found his hands and ankles were shackled to a wall with thick, iron chains. "Oh, come on," He muttered, yanking at them.

"Stop that." A voice said to him. "It won't help.

Dean looked up for the first time, realizing he was in some sort of empty warehouse. And he wasn't alone. There were lines of people chained up just like he was. Men and women, all different but all equally scared, confused and exhausted. Dean's head ached like he'd been beaten across the skull; but other than that he felt fine. Looking across from him, he located the owner of that voice, and recognized him immediately.

"Jack."

The frazzled looking young man narrowed his eyes at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dean."

"How did you know who I am?"

"I'm Andie's husband."

Jack narrowed his brown eyes at Dean. "Andie _Morgan_?"

"Yeah," Dean shrugged.

Jack tossed his head back and laughed. "You gotta be lying," he cackled. "Andie's no housewife."

"You got that right," Dean agreed. "Look; she calls you The Dog, right? We're here because you went missing, Van told us about it. It's Emma. She's the-"

"The demon, I know." Jack sighed.

"You know about demons?"

"Yeah. Andie didn't hide it from me as well as she thought she did." He smirked. "I'm a hunter."

"Me, too." Dean said defensively. "A good one."

"You got yourself caught." Jack pointed out.

"So did you." Dean snapped.

Jack scoffed. "_You_ voluntarily watched the tape; Emma was teasing you about it when she brought you in here."

Dean flushed a little but moved passed it. "Where is _here_, exactly? Who are all these people?"

"Morons. Like us." Jack sighed and leant his head back against the wall. "They all watched the tape with Emma – cute name, huh? – and she brought them here."

"Why?"

Jack gave him a scrutinizing look. "You said you're a hunter, right?" Dean nodded. "So you know the end is coming. Apocalypse right now." He sighed deeply. "We're being... collected."

Dean blinked a few times. "Collected?" He repeated.

"Demons are spilling out of hell, man, and they need meatsuits." He rattled his chains. "Enter us."

Dean's eyes rounded. "We're on a Hells Bitch waiting list?"

"Smart, huh?" Jack shook his head. "You can't have a team of demons just sitting around waiting for the crap to hit the fan, so they're locking up humans instead. That way when the demons arrive, they don't have to search for a host. They get to take their pick."

Dean sank back into the wall; his chains rattling slightly. Jack was the nearest person to him; then there was another man a few feet away sobbing to himself, and a blonde woman across from him who appeared to have passed out. Dean could make out the shapes of more prisoners further up the warehouse; but the natural light was fading and he couldn't clearly see any faces.

The irony wasn't lost on Dean, that he was wrestling with the 'say yes to Michael' decision, to become an angel's meatsuit, and yet here he was on the other end of the spectrum, waiting for a demon to possess him instead. And of all people he could be stuck with, he was sharing space with a guy who used to sleep with his wife. His mind told him things could be worse, but Dean didn't really see how.

**xxx**

"This place has a real hermit quality to it..." Cassidy noted as she lead herself and Andie into Jack's apartment by torchlight, ducking expertly through the police tape. "I'll bet he doesn't even have a dog."

"Stop being random," Andie hushed her as she bustled into the living room to see an exact copy of the sigil in their motel room burnt into the floor in front of her. "It's the same."

Cassidy was already starting to set up candles she'd brought into a pentagram. "We summon her, torture her, and get her to take us to wherever she's holding Dean and hopefully a still-living Jack."

"That is the plan." Andie clicked off her torch when the light from the candles lit the room enough for her to get organized clearly. "I'm really not good with the Latin..." She unrumpled Sam's summoning spell paper that she'd stuffed in her pocket.

"You're not good at anything." Cass smirked.

"Shut up." Andie took out a piece of white chalk from inside her jacket and began drawing a Devil's Trap in the centre of the candle pentagram.

"I knew you'd try and take all my glory." Van's voice swaggered into the room as she appeared in the door frame. "Save Dean and Jack and take all my karma. For shame, Morgan."

"Good, you're here. You summon the bitch." Andie chucked her Sam's conjuring spell. "Is Sam with you?"

"No, no, Sam downed a whole bottle of Jack Daniels," Van said. "I dropped him at your motel room, saw the sigil and figured you might be here. By the way, the lock to your motel room is all melted.

"Oh, yeah, my bad." Cass waved to her. "Van, isn't it?"

"You know my name, Cassidy." Van said sweetly.

Cass gave her a wry grin. "I know I know your name, I'm being condescending. It's Van, right?"

Andie smiled to herself, finished up the Devil's Trap and rose to her feet. "Whoa..." A sudden wave of dizziness took her over and she stumbled.

"Andie, you ok?" Van was at her side, holding her elbow to keep her upright.

"Yeah, I just, ah, stood up to fast, I think." Andie said, trying to shake it off; she was seeing those God-awful white spots flickering around.

"I'll get her some water," Cass said before vanishing into the kitchen.

"Come, sit," Van directed her to the couch and forced her down. "Maybe you should..."

"What, wait in the car?" Andie grumbled and leant back into the cushions.

"Here," Cass reappeared and pressed a cool glass of water into her hands. "I read that this happens if the baby is pressing down on your abdomen, it squishes the blood vessels." She held both her hands onto Andie's belly.

"What are you doing?"

"She's moving..." Cass smiled, and then giggled. "She's moving inside you."

"Yeah, I know." Andie brushed her hands off her stomach and took a few swallows of cool water.

"What is with the 'tude, Morgan?" Van said concernedly. "Pregnant chicks are meant to be all happy and weepy."

"I'm sorry." Andie shrugged. "I'm just... bored, I think. All I get to do now is pregnant stuff and it just bums me out."

"Pregnant stuff?" Cass repeated, raising her eyebrows. "You let Castiel aim a truck towards you to train your power. That ain't pregnant stuff."

Andie had to smile a little. "Seriously." She eyed both her friends. "You two have known me the longest of anyone I've met." She paused. "Did you really think _I_ would be the first to have a kid?"

"Nope." Cass said immediately. "I had you pegged and dead by twenty-five or still going after demons at eighty-years-old with a hunting knife hidden in your cane."

"Thank you." Andie deadpanned.

"Oh, come on," Cassidy shook her by the knees a little. "No, you are not a... conventional mother-type."

"God, no." Van agreed. "You're... odd and... awkward... and fucking fantastic. That kid is gonna love you."

"What if I completely suck at this?" Andie revealed quietly. "Dean, he knows babies, alright? He took care of Sam; he's got some idea of what's going on. I got nothing."

"Well... don't kill yourself and you'll be a better mum than yours was." Cass said tartly.

"Thanks, _again_." Andie quipped.

"You'll be fine, Morgan." Van squeezed her shoulder. "Don't ask me how I know, but I know you will be. You have a way of dealing with things, a very _unique_ way."

"Look," Cass slid into the couch beside her and slung her arm around her friend's shoulder. "Do you remember the fight we had a while ago, with that cereal I liked?"

"_Sultana Bran_, yeah I remember." Andie nodded, it had been one of their larger screaming matches.

"Yeah, I came into you with a bowl of _Sultana Bran_ one morning and said it had so many sultanas in it..."

"And I tried to explain to you that because sultanas and the bran flakes have different weights," Andie reminded her. "What you were experiencing is a result of the, so-called, sultana lottery, that can sometimes take place within a box of _Sultana Bran_, but you cried foul."

"I took what you said on board and throughout the week; noticed _significantly_ more sultanas in every bowl, which doesn't make sense to me because-"

"The world is in a financial crisis." Andie cut in.

"Exactly," Cass nodded. "And I'd wager the sultanas are the more expensive part of the cereal, and why the hell would the company give consumers a surplus in-"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Van interjected, receiving two strange expressions in return.

"My point is," Cass continued. "That things aren't always what they seem. Don't judge this one too early, Morgan," Cassidy tapped her fingers against Andie's belly. "Might not be as bad as you think it's gonna be."

"Good," Van rose to her feet and held a hand down to Andie. "Now come on, that idiot you married needs his ass saved."

Cassidy stood as well, offering her hand down to Andie as well. With a relieved smirk, Andie took a hand of each of her friends and let them heave her heavy ass up to her feet. Andie wasn't one to get lame and cheesy, it had always made her feel physically ill and humiliated, but at that moment she felt sorry for everyone else in the world.

They didn't have Van and Cassidy.

**xxx**


	33. The Inner Light

_*Thanks to Andi for letting me borrow Van again*_

**Chapter 33**

_The Inner Light_

After Andie's overly feminine moment with Cassidy and Van, the trio continued to set up the room to summon the demon. Cassidy was confident in her reading of the Latin spell so she took up summoning duties while Andie and Van stood on opposite sides of the Devil's Trap on the floor armed with rock-salt filled shotguns. Van also had a bottle of Holy water that she'd mixed up, just in case Emma needed some prodding.

Cassidy was tossing some herbs into a shallow, glass bowl on the coffee table in front of her, the ingredients for a demon conjuration. "_Ad construgendum ad ligandum eos pariter Et solvendum_." She murmured, preparing to strike a match over the bowl. "_Et ad congregantum eos coram me_." She struck the match, held it for a beat, and dropped it into the bowl. The contents ignited and flared for a few seconds; and then it disappeared.

In the centre of the Devil's Trap, Emma suddenly popped into view. As quick as a blink; she was there, looking completely confused, and then menacing when she spotted the trio around her. "What is this?" She sneered, seeing the Devil's Trap at her feet that bound her still, her white blonde hair bouncing in delicate curls around her pretty face; giving her a sweetness that didn't match her demeanour.

"You took something of mine." Andie sneered back at her. "And I want it back. So you can either tell us where you put him, or we'll rip your skanky ass to shreds."

"And enjoy every second of it." Van echoed.

Emma let out a laugh that sounded like wind chimes rustling through a breeze. "Oh, that's rich!" She chuckled. "Definitely the funniest threat I've heard in a good couple of centuries."

Cassidy, tired of the demon's lack of belief in their threat, stuck her hand forwards and send an electrical shock straight into Emma's chest; causing her to buckle forwards onto her knees, having definitely not anticipated this attack.

Andie gave Cassidy an approving nod, to which she winked in return.

"So..." Emma laughed and got to her feet, turning to Cassidy. "Someone's learned a little parlour trick, hm?"

Though meant as an insult, Cassidy took it as a compliment. "I sure did." She grinned. "Hell, I'm even learning to adjust the voltage. What I gave you just then? That's what I call the Static Shock, a brief example of what I'm packing. Tell us where Dean is, and you won't get the full force of my wrath."

"Dean..." Emma smirked. "He the idiot that I didn't even have to convince to watch the tape?"

"Yes, he is." Andie said, curious as to why only she and Cassidy were conducting this little torture session; Van was remaining eerily quiet. "But he's my idiot so tell me where you're holding him or we'll send you back to hell."

Emma laughed. "Do you really think it matters? Do you think I'm the only one storing up humans? I'm just a pawn in all this! You kill me; someone else will just take over."

Andie folded her arms across her belly. "So, then, what does it matter? Just tell us where he is."

Emma set her pretty lips in a firm line. "If you only knew what _I_ knew, Andie..."

"Kill her." Van said suddenly.

Andie's head snapped up to her friend, this was _not_ part of their plan; they hadn't even started torturing Emma. "What? Van, no-!"

"Do it!" Van instructed Cassidy.

Cassidy shot Andie an apologetic look, and then eyed Emma. "_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica._"

Emma's beautiful features contorted into ugly expressions as she writhed in agony at the sound of Cassidy's words. Falling to her knees, she tossed her head back and screamed bloody murder as the demonic black smoke that possessed her was expunged and sent back to the depths of Hell, leaving only a rotting corpse in her place. Emma had been dead for months; kept alive by the demon, and now she was just a body, another victim.

"What the hell was that?" Andie cried to Van after the demon was taken care of. "What did you do? Van, _what did you do_?"

"If she dies, her cloaking dies, too!" Van explained, holding up her hands to calm Andie down. "You should be able to sense Dean, now."

"That... is a _dangerous_ game, Lancaster!" Andie screeched. "What if you had destroyed wherever she's keeping Dean?"

"She wasn't going to tell us anything, you heard her." Van said confidently. "She didn't care about dying, which means she had nothing worth living for." She sighed. "Can you sense Dean or not?"

Andie huffed, but closed her eyes and thought of her husband, his location immediately popped into her head. "You got lucky." She hissed at Van, who smiled triumphantly in return. Andie got out her cell phone and dialled Castiel's phone number. "Cas?" She said when he answered. "I'm at Jack's apartment, can you come-"

"I'm here, now."

"Oh, Lordy!" Cassidy gasped as Castiel appeared right in front of her.

Andie made a noise under her breath and hung up her phone. "Can you go to Dean, bring him and whoever's with him back from wherever they're being held."

"You destroyed the demon." Castiel assumed, glancing around at the Devil's Trap and conjuring ingredients.

"Yeah; she's toast." Cassidy confirmed, blowing out the candles around them.

"Good." Castiel said with the only the vaguest sense of relief, quite a feat for a normally unemotional angel. "She was dangerous."

"Who was she?" Andie asked.

"A demon named Ankou, a collector of souls." Castiel explained. "Myth writes that she collected the souls of the dead, but with the apocalypse..."

"She's expanding her business." Andie finished for him. "Ok; well she's gone. So," She waved her hands towards Castiel. "Dean. Go get him. Pl-." He was gone before she'd even finished speaking. "-ease."

"He's hot," Van muttered with an affirming nod.

"Angels." Andie shrugged with a smug grin.

**xxx**

After spending the better part of a day chained up in a warehouse, both Dean and Jack were ravenous for something to eat. Never one to pass up food, Cassidy tagged along with Andie, whilst Van parted from the group to go and check on Sam, worried that he may just have became even drunker on the mini-bar in his hotel.

The foursome sat at a table in the middle of the busy dinner crowd, and was joined by a waitress a few moments after they sat down. Dean got his usual burger and fries, Jack got the same, Cassidy ordered a steak, and Andie had been dreaming about what she wanted all day.

"Yeah; I'd like the bacon cheeseburger with nothing but bacon inside." She said to the young blonde waitress, whose nametag read Fiona.

Fiona did a double take. "What?"

Andie stared at her for a moment. "I don't understand how that sentence could have possibly confused you." She said. "Burger with bacon. That's it." She handed her menu to her.

"We don't sell-"

"I don't care what you _sell_, that's what I _want_, and you have everything to make it back there, I'm making your job easier. In fact, I'm asking you to do _less_ than what you would do to make the full thing." Andie gestured to the kitchen. "So, go do it."

"I'd do it," Dean said Fiona. "If you don't, she will go back there and make it herself."

"Um, ok... it shouldn't be too long." Fiona scribbled it down on her notepad and left the table.

"And if one of you spits in it I'll burn this place to the ground!" Andie called after her; causing some of the patrons to give her a strange look.

"Nice to see you haven't changed." Jack deadpanned.

Andie grinned at him and rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk... no more cape?"

"No, no not anymore." Jack laughed. "When you shaved my head, it was a big wake-up call, I guess. I started fresh."

"Sad." Andie cocked her head to the side at him. "You were so cool... now you're not even unique! We passed, like, ten of you on the way here."

"Don't listen to her," Cassidy said as she added a fourth packet of sugar to her coffee. "I think you're totally hot. If I didn't have a man waiting at home, I'd take a run at you myself."

"So, Jack," Dean cleared his throat loudly. "You're a hunter?"

Jack welcomed his change of subject. "Yeah; mostly just around here. It's oddly high on the demons lately. Seems like every day I get more omens. I used to travel around, chasing it all, but when things picked up here I really didn't have to look far for cases."

"Oh, my God!" Andie suddenly cried, eying something over Jack's shoulder. "Dance Dance Revolution!" She snatched Cassidy's hand. "Come on, let's go!"

"Dance Dance Revolu- are you serious?" Dean called after them as he watched them rush to the arcade game at the back of the bar. "Man," he took a swig from his beer. "You think you know a person."

"Tell me about it," Jack was still eying after Andie.

"Dude, could you be _less_ obvious when you eyeball my wife?"

"Sorry, no, it's not-" Jack chuckled nervously. "I wasn't checking her out."

"Why, she not hot enough for you?" Dean teased, and then he laughed and slapped Jack on the shoulder. "Unclench, man, it's a joke."

"She's just... different." Jack said, going back to his beer. "I can't believe it. Y'know, you always meet people you think won't change, and then they do and it's shocking but, man..." he let out a low whistle.

Curious, Dean took the bait. "What are you talking about? What was she like?"

"Naw, she was just..." Jack chewed his lip as he thought of the best way to phrase it. "She was... nasty, not skanky nasty..." He said quickly. "Mean, nasty. And I was cool with that; she totally suited me back then, but still... I was never surprised with the lengths she would go through to get her way. Everyone we met... instantly they hated her. And it was like... she loved that. And now?" He cast a look back at her over his shoulder at Andie laughing with Cassidy. "Back then I could've counted the times she smiled on one hand."

"She was like that when I met her, too." Dean revealed a moment later, taking a look back at her as well. "Now that I think about it, yeah, she has changed... a lot."

"For the better, I'm sure." Jack said quickly. "Looking at her, it's like that cloud of nastiness is gone... maybe it's 'cos she's knocked up..."

Dean nodded, but didn't say anything else. Their food arrived a couple of minutes later, and they both dove right in. Dean was starving, but even as he shovelled his burger into his mouth he was still thinking about Andie. He didn't think he had changed her, at least not on his own, but the rapid shift her life had taken when she'd come on board with Sam and Dean altered the way she looked at everything. She changed the way she hunted, changed the way she interacted... or maybe Dean changed the way he looked at everything he did... whatever it was, it had to be good. He was happy; she was happy. And Dean had had so few happy moments in his life, truly happy moments.

With the apocalypse and impending fatherhood weighing heavily on his mind, Dean was used to freaking out, whether externally or internally, but there was something about here and now, this place, having dinner with a new friend, Andie laughing and having fun with Cassidy, everyone around him calm and peaceful, that made Dean think maybe he could handle this. Being normal, that is.

Maybe, if there was a light at the end of the demonic tunnel, and one day they were done, he could get used to this.

**xxx**

Andie didn't sleep well that night; the baby wouldn't stop kicking her. So in very small hours of the morning, she found herself sitting outside the motel room on the front steps with a warm cup of cocoa in her hands. When she heard the creaking of a motel door open, she expected to see Dean or even Cassidy, who was spending the night on their couch after a few rounds of tequila with Jack, about to join her. Instead, she saw Van, Converse sneakers between her fingertips, chocolate brown hair tangled in knots, and her zip up jacket thrown on haphazardly over her bra and jeans. Tip-toeing along, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Andie beaming up at her.

"Am I catching The Professor doing a walk of shame?" Andie quipped with a smile.

Van flushed. "I thought I'd make it out of her before you woke up," She tossed her shoes on the step beside Andie and straightened her jacket.

"I can't sleep unless I'm on my side, but the kid don't like that," She sighed. "Sam?" She smiled again and nodded towards his hotel room. "Nice pick up."

Van grinned. "One of my best." She started to put her shoes on.

"You were gonna duck out without saying goodbye?"

"Of course," Van gave her an odd look. "We're not big on goodbyes."

Andie frowned. "True."

"Being knocked up has made you all sorts of needy," Van reached out and patted Andie's stomach sticking out of the top of her sweatpants. "You sure there's not two in there?"

"There's one, thank you," Andie glared at her for the weight gain jab.

"And to think we used to tell people you were barren to get free sympathy drinks."

"Yeah... good times."

"We should hang out more, Morgan, y'know?" Van sighed and shivered in the cool morning air. "Seems like we're never too far away from each other."

"You miss me, aww. Sweet." Andie teased.

"You suck," Van pushed up off Andie's knee and got to her feet. "Call me when the little one comes out," She instructed as she headed for her Camaro. "Although if she inherits your stubbornness; this time next year you'll still be huge."

"At least I'm pregnant, what's your excuse?"

"Ooh, burn." Van winked. "Bye, Andie."

"Bye," Andie muttered; watching her friend climb into her car and set off. It was always as she watched Van left that she realized she might actually have missed her while she was away. But they couldn't ever be what they had been before, especially not now. They'd always be friends; that wasn't even a question.

It was just growth, they grew apart. A sad fact of life, people drifted in and out through the years, for whatever reason. Van had definitely drifted into a more positive life than some people Andie had lost touch with (she was still alive; a plus), but that meant that it steered her further away from Andie rather than closer. Andie sensed that Van knew this; she could see it behind her eyes each time they bid farewell; it was probably the reason they weren't good at goodbyes.

Sighing, Andie gave in to the cold and rose back to her feet; retreating to the warm confines of her bed to try and get at least a couple of hours sleep before Dean and Cass woke up.

**xxx**


	34. Like Dreamers Do

_AN: Quite a long chapter; hope you like it because I loved writing this one._

**Chapter 34**

_Like Dreamers Do_

The pain in her abdomen was excruciating, like someone was stabbing her with a knife. The pain made her curl up and groan. Andie knew something was wrong; it felt wrong. Everything felt wrong. And in the darkness, she could feel thighs were damp. "Dean?" She called, grabbing for his side of the bed. It was empty. He must've gotten up for something.

Andie held a hand to her stomach and groaned through gritted teeth as a painful cramp came over her. Her heart racing, Andie reached for the lamp beside her and flicked it on. She pulled back her covers; and let out an ear-splitting scream.

Her legs were covered in blood; she was bleeding. The baby was bleeding, dying; she knew it was, but all she could do was scream. Her fists gripped the sheet so tightly her knuckles turned white. She was alone; and her baby was dying...

"Andie! _Andie, wake up_!"

Andie's eyes flew open. She was no longer clutching her blankets, she was clutching Dean's shirt. It was light outside, Sam was at the foot of her bed looking concerned, and Dean was holding her head in his hands.

"It's ok, you were having a nightmare." Dean said quietly. "We heard you screaming from outside, I thought I'd let you sleep in before we left town..." He trailed off when he saw the look in her eyes. "Andie, hey, it's okay, you were dreaming." She didn't let go of his shirt. "Andie?" She was so scared she was shaking. Dean carefully unhooked her fingers from his shirt and held her hands. "Everything's fine." He told her firmly. "Say something, Andie."

"Andie?" Sam said; moving a little closer to her.

"I'm okay." She managed to whisper a moment later, forcing her voice to be strong.

"What did you dream about?"

"Ah..." Andie shook her head; she didn't want to think about it... all that blood... "I can't remember," She said. "But it was so... vivid."

Sam looked from Dean to Andie. "Maybe you should rest here a little longer?" He said. "I can start this case myself; you can meet me in a couple of days."

Dean climbed off the bed, though his eyes remained on Andie "Maybe that's a good idea..."

"No, I'm fine." Andie smiled, feeling more relieved now, the horrors of her dream slowly ebbing away.

"You're seven months pregnant, Andie," Sam reminded her. "And you don't rest as much as you tell Cassidy that you do." He got up off the bed and shrugged on his jacket. "I'll rent a car; give me a call when you're coming through." He smiled at Andie, who was looking guilty. "Wipe that look off your face; you're doing me a favour. Not having to ride with him for six hours," He jabbed his thumb at Dean. "Heavenly."

"Call if you need anything." Dean told him; following him outside.

Andie tucked her legs up under her and sat cross-legged, and as if anticipating her worries, the baby sent a hard kick against her stomach. "Ow." She winced and held her hand over her belly; feeling the baby kick against her palm. "Yes, you're there, Bug, I know." She chewed her lip. "Did you have a bad dream, too?"

"Ok, he's gone," Dean said re-entering the hotel room. "You gonna tell me what the dream was about?"

"It was _just_ a _dream_." She said emphatically, feeling much stronger now that she was fully awake. "It doesn't mean anything... what case was Sam talking about, anyway?"

"Ah, Bobby called this morning," Dean told her. "Said he's getting calls from hunters a state over; loads of demon attacks, way more than normal, all in the one place

"That's... exciting." Andie replied. "Let's go, then," She climbed out of bed, but her body worked against her and she sat back down, unable to stand up over her burgeoning belly without help, or a good spring off the bed.

"Stay!" Dean ordered her. "It's not gonna kill you to take it easy."

"It might." She grumbled.

"Stop being so combative; you're s'posed to be all, y'know..." He frowned. "Peaceful."

"Combative _is_ my peaceful."

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you want me to call Cassidy?"

"Ok, I'll be good."

The day ended up being quite comforting for Andie. She barely had to get out of bed, Dean acted like a maid. He got her food, let her watch what she wants on TV without an argument, and even painted her toenails, an act Andie instigated purely to test the length of his patience with her; he passed with flying colours. By the time the pair went to bed that night, Andie had completely forgotten about her nightmare.

That was until she was hit with another one.

She clutched the white and pink bundle of blankets in her hands. If she wasn't looking right at the baby folded in between them; she wouldn't have thought it was there. It was so lightweight; it looked like a sleeping doll. Andie sat in a wheelchair outside the entrance to the hospital; waiting.

"Ma'am?" A nurse came outside the hospital and patted Andie's shoulder. "Are you waiting on a cab?"

"No, no, my husband," Andie replied. "He's, ah, getting the car."

"Do you mind if I take the wheelchair back in? We have a lot of discharges today..."

"Oh, yeh, sure, of course," Andie rose to her feet, careful not to wake the baby, and let the nurse take the chair back inside. It was a morbidly cloudy day, and even though the parking lot was full of vehicles, there was no one around.

In her arms, the baby started to fuss. "Ssh, don't cry," Andie jiggled the infant. "Please, don't cry."

The unmistakable roar of the Impala made Andie snap her head up, but Dean's car wasn't rolling towards her. Instead, she saw the black streak of the Chevy as it exited the hospital lot and screeched onto the highway.

"No!" Andie screamed and ran towards the billowing smoke behind the car. "Come back!" The baby started to wail in her arms. "Come back!" Andie struggled to keep the baby from wriggling around. "COME BACK!"

With a jolt, Andie was wide awake in her hotel bed again. She was sweating, and her breath was hitching in her throat. At the end of her bed, perched just so delicately and with a worried glint in her eye, was Ellie.

Andie blinked a few times; thinking at first her grandmother was part of her dream. "Grams, what...? Where's Dean?" She glanced around, noticing that they were alone.

"He went to get you something to eat; he called me to watch you." Ellie explained. "Well, he called Castiel, but I thought you'd rather talk to me."

Andie tossed off her covers and checked her watch. "Talk to you about what?" It was almost midday, she'd slept for hours.

"Your nightmares." Ellie smiled sympathetically. "You were calling out just now, and Dean told me you had another one last night..."

"He's overreacting. They're just dreams." Andie said stubbornly.

"Your mother had them." Ellie revealed. "She and your father moved back in with me when she was pregnant; Lily was so pedantic about being safe for you." She said. "She dreamed that you were sick, inside of her, and that you were dying." She sighed. "She was terrified that you'd never be born."

"What made them go away?"

"You're not gonna like it."

Andie groaned. "It's talking, isn't it."

"I'm afraid so." Ellie smiled.

"There's no angel quick-fix? Can't you just zap me?" Andie touched her forehead with her finger.

"Andie, believe it or not, some things in your life can't be fixed by the supernatural."

"I believe it not." Andie deadpanned.

"It's Dean, isn't it," Ellie pressed, not one to take a hint. "And Michael."

Andie was quiet for a moment. It was true; his supposed destiny to become the meatsuit of an angel was never far from her mind. That accompanied with her fear of giving birth was sure to cause her nightmares; that and the fact she was an expert at repression. "I dunno." She muttered.

"It's not fair."

"No!" Andie snapped. "No, it's not fair! It's not fair that he has to deal that! Or that Sam is supposed to be Lucifer! Or that the apocalypse might arrive before the baby! Or that once it's born it's gonna be on every demon's Most Wanted list! It's not fair!" She let her breath heave for a few moments until it calmed. "It's not fair." She said more reasonably. "But it's my life. And it being unfair isn't anything new."

"But it's different now." Ellie said. "Why?"

Andie smirked and ran her hand across her expanding belly. "Because now... I care."

Ellie smiled, knowingly, as if she'd just been waiting for Andie to get to the answer that she already knew. "It was bound to happen eventually."

"Will these dreams stop now?"

"I can't answer that." Ellie said. "What's the common thread in these dreams?"

Andie only had to think for a moment. "Dean's not in them..."

"Exactly." Ellie rose to her feet. "So, I think you'll just have to talk with him."

"But I don't want to."

"Oh, for goodness sake, Andie," Ellie hissed. "I love you but you can be infuriating." She blew a kiss to her granddaughter. "Sleep well, my love."

Andie sighed as Ellie disappeared in the blink of an eye. "That's your great-grandmother," She muttered to her belly. "She's insane... but she loves us; so it's okay."

"Honey, I'm ho-_oome_." Dean sang as he burst through the front door.

"You called Grams?" Andie accused him before he was even fully inside.

"I have curly fries." Dean said cutely, holding up the fast-food bag as a peace offering.

Andie reached for the bag. "You're forgiven."

This night mimicked the one before it almost exactly. The pair ate dinner, watched TV, and then fell asleep as the infomercials rolled up onto the screen. The only thing different was that Andie had Ellie's voice echoing in her mind, and when that happened it usually didn't go away until Andie dealt with it in whatever manner. Perhaps it was pregnancy-related exhaustion or the heavy meal she'd eaten, but Andie fell right to sleep with Dean's arm curled across her tummy resting his fingers on her belly button.

Their relaxed morning was cut short when Sam rang in distress, asking for them to get there as soon as they could. He was in a church with a group of rogue hunters whose town had apparently been one of the starting points of the apocalypse, so the remaining townsfolk were holed up at the church as well, being lead by none other than a prophet. Her name was Leah, but Sam had some suspicions about her hence why he called in his brother and Andie for backup.

Blue Earth, Minnesota is where they met up with Sam. He was waiting for them out the front of the local town church; which was heavily guarded by men and women of all ages carrying an array of serious artillery. There was also a Devil's Trap scratched into the cement at the gate of the holy building, as well as several other protection symbols painted on the walls of the outside. It was clear that this town and its occupants were well aware of the supernatural world, and more than that they were up for a fight.

"Good to see you," Sam said as Dean and Andie arrived in front of him.

"What the hell is this place?"

"It's like some sort of hunting gang; but it's the whole town." Sam explained. "Well, what's left of them. They had a kid in there pumping a gun full of salt rounds." He jabbed his thumb towards the church.

"Did you get a hold of Cas?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I left him a message." Sam scrunched up his nose, remembering Cas's confused voicemail. "I think. So uh, what's your theory? Why all of the demon hits?"

"After the prophet?" Andie assumed. "They see the future, would be nice for the demons to have a little glimpse of what's to come, right?"

Sam shook his head. "It's not just that. Leah, the prophet, she gets orders from the angels, and the townspeople just follow along, like sheep." He shrugged. "They don't even seem to question it and they could get ripped to shreds."

"We're all gonna die, Sam." Dean said all too bluntly. "In like a month, maybe two." He frowned. "I mean it. This is the end of the world, but these people don't seem to be freaking out. In fact they're running to the exit in an orderly fashion. I don't know that that's such a bad thing."

Andie smacked the back of her hand against his shoulder. "Who says they're all gonna die? Whatever happened to us saving them?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off when the church bells suddenly rung out, echoing through the quiet, overcast day. "Something I said?" He muttered.

Sam flagged down a young man hustling people inside the church. "Paul! What's going on?"

"Leah's had another vision."

Sam escorted Dean and Andie inside and made some quick introductions. After batting away the Pastor's hands from her stomach, Andie informed Pastor Gideon that she, Dean and Sam were more than up for the challenge of hunting some demons, as Leah's vision had apparently spelled out.

"My dear, a woman in your condition-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Andie waved her hand dismissively at him. She was spending the best part of her time lately convincing random people that she wasn't a delicate bomb waiting to explode; even though in truth she was desperate for something to fight, to flex her telekinetic muscles. Shifting the bed back and forth across the hotel room had become quite dull.

So, despite the weird looks she got from the mostly male crew that went out on this demon call, Andie was in quite good spirits as they made their way into the forest. As good as she could be anyway, with Dean declaring death in mere weeks. She was sure it hadn't escaped him that their baby was due just around that time, yet both seemed quite content not to talk about that. They were good at avoiding the issue.

Although even Andie had to admit, hiking up a steep hill with the added weight of her baby was no small feat, she was sweating before they were even halfway up. She tried to keep to Sam's shadow, out of the Pastor's eye. He kept looking at her like she shouldn't be there; it was irritating.

They approached a house atop the hill, according to Leah it was thriving with a clan of demons. The Pastor took the lead and directed his crew around. He sent Dean and a young man named Dillan around the side, a redhead woman named Georgia with a well-oiled hunter, Rob, towards the front and sent Sam and Andie directly towards the back before following Georgia and Rob.

Andie had kept her telekinesis quiet from these new people, she figured it was for the best seeing as these seemed like the kind of people to just shoot wildly at anything even slightly scary. So she was armed with one of Dean's shotguns just for the facade; not that it wouldn't come in handy.

When they were alone, Sam pulled Andie back by her hand. "Hold up," He whispered. "Take a breath."

Andie puffed loudly, having been keeping her panting in check so no one would think her weak. "Thanks." She whispered to him.

"I'm not gonna say it." He said with a smirk, his face blindly screaming that she shouldn't be out here.

"Good," She patted his chest and rearranged her grip on her shotgun. "Then don't." The second she put her hand on the front door; she was knocked back off her feet.

Sam smacked the demon that had crashed onto the porch in the chin with the handle of Ruby's demon knife. "Andie, you good?" He called as he stabbed the blade straight into the demon's body.

Andie winced and heaved herself up. "Yeah, fine." She took the hand that Sam offered her. "Duck!" She instructed as a white, frizzy haired demon flung herself out the front door. Sam hit the deck and Andie shot a round straight into her forehead.

They proceeded into the house, Sam took care of the frizzy haired demon with his knife, Andie shot two waiting demons that were barrelling towards her. She was aiming her shotgun at a brunette storming down the stairs when she heard a familiar Latin chant from behind her. Pastor Gideon was reciting an Enochian exorcism; it took care of all the demons in the room, including the brunette.

Once in the depth of the house, Andie and Sam met up with Dillan and Dean with the Pastor at their heels. Georgia and Rob were taking out a set of identical twin demons, and Sam expertly slashed the throat of a pudgy middle-aged man who merely snarled at them. Dillan then also expertly reeled off an Enochian exorcism himself.

Dean couldn't even manage to praise the kid before yet another demon sprang from the top level down on top of him. Andie swiped her hand at it and send it flying towards Sam, who was ready with his knife and stabbed the demon dead before it even hit the ground.

Georgia and Rob came hustling down the stairs, declaring it empty. And with Pastor Gideon spouting off one final exorcism; they were done. It was the fastest Andie had ever cleared out that amount of demons. Pays to have back up; she assumed.

They arrived back at the cars (Dean's Impala and the Pastors dirty, red truck) and began to pack up to head back. The Pastor and his gang headed off first; leaving Dean, Sam and Andie to relish in their win for a few moments.

"Still keen on the blade, Sam?" Andie teased him as she hovered by the driver's side door whilst Dean fetched two beers from the trunk.

"Working with what works." He shrugged, snatching a beer from his brother, the two enjoying a momentary calm.

Andie, still staving off liquor, leant her aching back against the Impala and stared into the forest. It was nice; peaceful. That was until she was face first with the dirt, her ankles having been snatched out from under her. She couldn't even turn over; but her head clipped the edge of the Impala, knocking her out.

"Andie!" Dean bolted around to her side of his car whilst Sam reached underneath the vehicle and yanked out another demon, short with spiky brown hair, and stabbed her cold with the demon knife.

Dean pulled Andie out from under the car, her head was gushing blood. "Oh, dammit, Andie?" He pulled her into his lap and pressed his palm against her forehead. "It's ok, honey, you'll be okay..."

**xxx**

Three hours later, Dean who had been sitting by Andie's bed in the bowels of the church, left her side for the first time. He had been reassured that she was fine; and that she would wake up soon. One of the mother's of the church tended to her wound, and told Dean she felt the baby kicking firmly so he shouldn't worry. But he did. He felt like an idiot. He had a pregnant wife, for God's sake, and he let her tramp around a demon infested town with a bunch of trigger happy church folk.

He began to wander, and somehow found himself at Leah's office one floor up. She was sitting at her desk reading through a Bible when Dean ducked his head into the room. "Bad time?"

Leah smiled. "In general. Now's okay." She gestured for him to come inside.

"Angel stuff really takes it out of you, huh?" He muttered.

Leah shrugged. "Can't complain. I know you have it worse. So…what's on your mind, Dean?"

With a sigh, Dean just thought it best to be honest. "Don't take this the wrong way but…are you on the level?"

Leah smiled sweetly. "About what?"

"All of this. What you tout, that if these people do as the angels say they'll get paradise." He pursed his lips together. "I want to know what the angels are telling you." He demanded. "Everything. And you can skip the rainbows."

Leah took a deep breath and leant back in her chair. "Well...there's gonna be a prize-fight. And…it's gonna get bad." She admitted. "But after we win—and we will." She smiled gleefully. "The planet gets handed over to the Chosen. And…it's finally peaceful." She sighed contentedly. "No monsters, no disease, no death. You're just…with the people you love."

"Of course, that's if you can get past the velvet rope." He gave a wistful smile. "Must be nice...being chosen."

She raised her hands up in the air. "Well, Dean…you're chosen."

"Yeah, more like cursed." Dean scoffed.

"Must be hard. Being the Vessel of Heaven and having no hope."

Dean frowned and lowered his head. "She's my hope." He whispered a moment later.

Leah suddenly rose to her feet. "She's a vessel, too, Dean." She said calmly. "A vessel for your child? That baby is a soldier. That baby IS the word of God." She paused. "And no matter what you think of me... that baby needs protection."

"Dean?" Rob was suddenly in the doorway. "Your girl's awake."

Dean arrived back at Andie's bed to find her on her feet and pacing. "Where were you?" She asked, not demanding, but curious. "This place gives me the jeebies. I can hear what they're doing out there," She nodded to the window. "Instilling a curfew. And they're shutting off the cell towers; its like they wanna cut themselves off from the outside world.

Dean sank down onto her now vacant bed. "Huh." He grunted in reply.

"Don't you get it? They're turning this place into some kind of fundamentalist compound." She told him. "I think these people might actually be nuts."

"No, I get it." Dean leant forwards and rested his elbows on his knees. "I get it; I just don't care."

Andie cocked her head at him. "What?"

"What difference does it make, Andie?" He said helplessly. "Angel world, angel rules…"

Andie folded her arms across her belly. "And you're okay with that?"

"Yeah, since the angels' got the only lifeboats on the Titanic." Dean said, his forehead creasing in stress. "I mean, who exactly is supposed to come along and save these people? It was supposed to be us, but we can't do it." He paused, and clucked his tongue. "You can't do it." He added quietly.

Andie was affronted. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means!" He said angrily. "We can ignore it all we want, but you're gonna have a baby, Andie. And soon! And you can't fight demons when you can barely walk!"

"I walk fine!"

"You almost died today! If Sam and I hadn't been there-"

"But you were-"

"What happens when we're not, huh?" He argued. "Andie you are the first person I would pick to kick anyone or anything's ass from here to eternity – but not now. Not like this. You're slow. You're tired. You need to take a break."

Andie felt angry, bitter tears boil in her eyes. "You can't do this."

"Actually, I can." Dean snapped.

"No, you can't do this _to me_!" Andie bellowed. "You are the only thing keeping me going right now, do you get how much that scares me? I am more terrified than I could even tell you about having a friggin baby and now you… you're telling me to back off? How dare you…" She whispered, then her anger struck her voice and made her scream. "HOW DARE YOU?"

"Yell and scream all you want, I ain't changing my mind!" Dean yelled back. "I'm calling Cassidy. She's coming to pick you up, take you back to stay with her and Luka."

Andie's mouth was hanging open. "You're not serious."

"Andie, you coulda been killed today!"

"Oh, what _now_ you care?" Andie snapped. "This from you; who only hours ago claimed we were all dead in a month? What's the point in being careful, right, if we all die in the end?"

"It's not like that. I swear, it's not. I get that now. I want you to be okay, don't you understand? I want you to be safe, you and the baby. And you can't be safe and be here. It's too dangerous. Lucifer is-"

"Oh, Lucifer is just an excuse for you to run away!"

"Run away?" Dean repeated exasperatedly. "_RUN AWAY_! That's what you think I'm doing? Right now the only thing I want to do is be with you _anywhere_ but here but that's not an option, ok? This is our life! This is what's happening. The End is on its way and I will NOT let you die because I was too selfish to let you go!"

Andie was fuming. "So you just _decided_ that I'm going into hiding? You didn't think I might have a say in it?"

"No, because you're like me!" He snapped; making her back off a little. He tried to calm down. "When we have a choice, we stay together... and it's not smart. Not now." He exhaled deeply. "Do you think this was easy, Andie?"

"It's never been easy!" She hollered. "Nothing about our lives is easy! And that's why we work!"

Dean bit back tears. "I love you. And that's why you gotta go, Andie." He moved to kiss her, hold her, but she just shoved him away. "I'm sorry."

With that he left her, called Cassidy who agreed to come right away, and headed for the confines of the Impala. There was a warm can of beer under the backseat, waiting for a time like this to be consumed. She'd be safe with Cassidy; Dean knew that. Safer than she'd be with Dean right now. He was running from being Michael's vessel; it wasn't safe for him to have her at his side, even though that was where he wanted her to be. But he knew he was right; he was selfish for keeping her with him for so long. He didn't know a lot about babies or anything about being a father; but he knew enough that if he wanted to keep his family safe; the best thing for them was to let them go. Even if it broke his heart to do so.

**xxx**


	35. Sure To Fall

**Chapter 35**

_Sure To Fall_

Andie and Cassidy had known each other long enough to know when not to push things; and the ride back to her apartment was a silent one. Andie spent most of the time sleeping, Luka's truck, though old, had excellent suspension so even the rumbling roads didn't wake her up.

Cass pulled into the parking lot of her apartment block and left her sleeping friend for a moment, sending a quick text message to Luka letting him know they'd arrived.

When Cassidy had received Dean's frantic call three days before, she didn't question him when he begged her to come and take Andie back to her place. For months Cassidy had been worrying after her friend's safety, and by Dean's voice Cass knew that things were serious. She preferred to be as distant from the whole Michael/Lucifer Dean/Sam vessel thing as much as she could. She had her life with Luka now. Demon hunting was definitely still a part of her; it always would be, but she refused to let it control her whole world, and let it rule her.

Cassidy hadn't been 'born' into hunting like Andie, or the Winchester's. Her white bread upbringing was as normal as most people's, but her attack from a vampire when she was a teenager is what struck her heart into seeing what this supernatural world was all about. That's how she'd met Andie, and Zoe, and now Luka. She was one of the lucky ones, Cass knew that. One of the few who could break free from the world. And she didn't once take advantage of it.

Luka came outside less than a minute after Cass's message. It was after midnight, he was in gray and black striped sweat pants and a black wife-beater. "Hey," He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend tightly and kissed her crown. "Glad you're okay."

"Always am." Cassidy murmured, savouring the warmth of his body heat around her tiny frame. "I don't wanna wake the beast," She flicked her eyes towards the passenger's side seat where Andie was sleeping. "Did you get her room ready?"

"Yeah, yeah," Luka nodded and went to retrieve Andie. She was heavy, but he managed to carry her quite comfortably. Cass locked the truck and led the way upstairs to the apartment.

It was strange, Cass and Luka had never had a discussion about 'living together', it had just happened and they both went with it. They loved each other, so of course they'd live together. It seemed so obvious that it didn't need to be said.

Originally her grandfather's apartment in Salem, Cassidy found out it had been left to her in his will, she used it as a thoroughfare as she'd travelled around with Andie, or solo, or with any other hunter who'd have her, but never really stayed put. Now with the apocalypse coming, and having Luka in her life, she kind of liked the idea of settling down, even just for a little while. So that meant redecorating. The actual basics of the house weren't that bad, it was the ancient, moth-eaten furniture that ruined everything.

Cassidy and Luka had spent the better part of the last few months fixing it up. Luka had a great job working nights at a local bar. The establishment had been victim to a couple of ghosts haunting, so when Cassidy and Luka managed to clear things out with hardly any damage, the owner, Gary, was so grateful he offered Luka a part-time job with full-time pay.

The apartment had two bedrooms, one of which Cassidy had set up as a guest room, and that's where Luka carried a still-sleeping Andie. Cass pulled back the cotton bed cover so Luka could lay her against the pillows. Pulling off her friend's Converse sneakers, Cassidy covered her back up with the blanket and she and Luka crept out quietly.

"How long do you think she'll need to stay here?" Luka asked when he and Cassidy headed to the kitchen.

"I dunno..." Cass sighed and slumped into a chair at the table.

Luka retrieved a beer for each of them from the fridge and sat across from her, sliding the bottle across the table to her. "What exactly did Dean say?" He asked as she cracked the top off his drink. "You bolted out of her so fast the other day."

"He said things are getting worse. And he doesn't want Andie to get in the way." She sighed and used a flicker of her electrokinesis to pop off her bottle lid. She was getting really good at adjusting the voltage of her power. "I gotta agree with him. And I think she does, too."

Luka smirked. "Andie? Agreeing to move _away_ from danger?"

"She didn't put up a fight." Cassidy explained. "When I went to get her, she just chucked her bags in the truck and climbed in. Dean wasn't even there." She sighed and took a long drink. "I think she knows he's right, but there's no way in hell she'll admit it. So she comes here of her own accord... and by not arguing about it I guess in her head it makes it her decision, even though it was Dean's idea..." She shrugged and slumped her head into the crook of her elbow.

"You're a good friend, C," Luka reached over the table and took her delicate fingers into his hand.

"I know." Cass smiled and squeezed his fingers. "And at least now I don't have to worry as much, I guess."

Luka gave her a proud smile and rose to his feet, pulling her up as he did so. "Let's get you to bed," He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "It'll all seem better in the morning."

**

* * *

**

Dean had left Sam back in Minnesota, taking off in the Impala. If he was going to do this; he needed to be alone. After downing half the cheap whiskey he'd bought, he started packing up his stuff. And he continued to swig from the bottle as he kept going. After all the mess with Leah, who turned out to be a fake prophet, and sending Andie away, Dean had decided enough was enough. He wasn't going to sit around and wait to die. If he wanted to fight; he'd have to say yes to Michael. And saying yes also meant saying goodbye. With the whiskey bottle at his side, Dean sat himself at the table with a piece of the motel stationary and a generic pen, scribbling down what would be his last words to his family.

_Castiel. I'll be surprised if this ever gets to you, but if it does. I want you to know that what I'm doing isn't because I gave up hope. You taught us better than that. I did this because of time; we've run out of it. _

_Bobby. I sent Andie to Cassidy's, I don't know how long she'll be there but I know you'll be able to find her. And take care of her, even if she doesn't know it. You are like a father to me, Bobby. You've taken more for the team than anyone could ever ask. That makes you a Winchester in my book. _

_Andie. I'm sorry. I think that's all I can say. You know everything else. You were the first for me, Andie. Don't take this with you; don't let it define you. Survive; it's what you're best at. Y'know people say they knew they'd found love the moment they saw it? You and I both know that wasn't us. But damn, I love you now; always. _

_My Baby Girl. I'm sorry to you, too, because I'll never get to know your name. But I know it'll be beautiful; just like you. You'll take after your mother. You'll be strong. You'll be good. I want you to be a kid, sweetheart. Play games. Laugh. And love your mother. Because she loves you even more than I do. _

_Sam. You told me once that you pray every day. Now, I'm sure if that's still true. Probably not, but if it is, give it one last try for me, okay? Sammy, one Winchester lost, one gained. I need you to take care of Andie and the baby. They'll need you. And you'll need them. You're family. When it's over, and I'm gone, take them somewhere away from this. Let my kid be a kid. I know you will._

_You all know what you mean to me. And if you don't, I hope this letter spells it out better than I could. _

_Be seeing ya, _

_Dean.  
_

Without even reading it back, afraid he might have a second thought and remove something, Dean folded up the letter and sealed it in an envelope. Rising to his feet, he grabbed his favourite leather jacket, worn for so many years through case after case. It had been spattered with every kind of supernatural gunk imaginable, and yet it still looked good. He folded it gently and placed it inside the cardboard box he'd snatched from the supermarket. On top of that, he put his favourite pistol; empty; and settled it atop the soft, worn leather. And on top of that, he put the letter. He secured the box with duck tape and addressed it to Robert Singer.

"Sending someone a candy-gram?"

Dean turned slowly, seeing the tall figure of his brother hovering by the door, looking exhausted. "How'd you find me?" He asked.

"You're going to kill yourself, right?" Sam said matter-of-factly It's not too hard to figure out the stops on the Farewell Tour."

Dean closed his eyes and took another swig from the whiskey bottle. "I'm not going to kill myself."

Sam frowned, not believing him. "No? So Michael's _not_ about to make you his Muppet? What the hell, man? This is how it ends?" He knocked the box on the bed. "You just…walk out?"

"Yeah, I guess." Dean grumbled.

"Where's Andie?"

"Gone."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Gone?"

"She's with Cassidy." He downed the last of the whiskey and tossed the bottle into the wastebasket. "She's safer there."

"You made her go?" Sam scoffed. "You think this will keep her free of this? She's half-angel, Dean, if they want her, they'll find her."

"She already watched me die once." He sank heavily into the leather armchair and hung his head into his hands. "Better she thinks I'm just another asshole who abandoned her."

Sam gave his brother a pitiful look. "She doesn't think that... why would you want her to?" He chewed his lip, studying his brother's silence, and finding the answer. "You can't make her forget you."

"I can try." Dean mumbled to his hands.

Sam's nostrils flared in anger. "How can you do this?"

"How can _I_?" Dean repeated, suddenly springing to his feet, frustration and alcohol mixing into a volatile combination. "All you've _ever_ done is run away!"

"And I was wrong." Sam admitted. "Every single time I did." He held his hands up to Dean, non-threatening. "Just… please… not now. Bobby's working on something."

Dean chuckled humourlessly. "Oh, really? What?" He laughed again at his brothers' silent response. "You got nothin' and you know it."

Sam sighed deeply, his shoulders rising and settling with his breath. "You know I have to stop you."

"Yeah, well, you can try." Dean threatened. "Just remember: You're not all hopped up on demon blood this time."

Sam hung his head. "Yeah, I know. But I brought help." His eyes focused on something behind Dean.

Castiel was standing there, prepared. And when Dean turned to face him; he touched his fingers to Dean's forehead and knocked him out cold.

**

* * *

**

When Andie woke up; she felt like she'd slept for a week. She didn't recognize her surroundings at first; but the familiar softness of the blanket around her with its sweet, lavender scent told her she was with Cassidy. It didn't matter how many times she washed this comforter, she could never get the scent of her grandmother's perfume off of it.

There was a chill in the air so Andie bundled the blanket around her body and padded her barefeet into the hallway. She could hear the faint sound of a television broadcast and could smell something delicious in the air; pizza, if she wasn't mistaken.

Cassidy was gnawing on the crust of a slice of pizza when she saw Andie, almost choking when she tried to speak and swallow at the same time. Managing to get down her food, she tried again. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Andie said, nabbing a piece of pepperoni for herself. "How long did I sleep?"

"Well, we got here about one am this morning, you slept most of the car ride back here and it is now," She craned her neck to look at the wall clock. "Seven-thirty in the evening. So... awhile."

"Luka here?"

"Work." Cassidy said. "God, I love him when he goes to work, he's all showered and clean, smells _amazing_, and gets in his white, collared shirt..." She sighed peacefully. "Paves the way for the awesome lovin' when he gets home."

"Thank you." Andie grimaced at her over-share, and made a mental note to dig out her iPod for when Luka returned so she could mute any unsanitary sounds.

"You can stay as long as you want, Andie," Cass said a moment later. "I mean it."

Andie mustered a smile in a return and chewed slowly on her pizza. "Tell me what to do." She said as the news programme went to a commercial.

"What?" Cass turned to her, tucking a strand of her blonde hair away from her eyes.

"I don't know what to do."

"Well... you came here because it was the right thing to do; you get that, don't you? You have to stay away, at least until after-"

"After what?" Andie interjected. "After the baby's born? Or after the apocalypse?"

"Yeah, I get it. The baby's the rock; apocalypse – hard place, and you're stuck in the middle jumping up and down," Cass said. "I know. But fact is? You've got weeks, not months, _weeks_ until you give birth. And you're going to have to be prepared."

Andie sat and listened as Cassidy ran through a bunch of pregnancy facts she'd learned. Birthing plans, positions, La-maze breathing... it all went over Andie's head but she just nodded along. It was nice having someone else worry about the baby stuff; and someone as involved in it as Cassidy, too. As if agreeing with her, the baby sent a hard kick into Andie's kidney.

**

* * *

**

Adam Milligan's reappearance stunned everyone. He _was_ meant to be dead.

From his hotel room, Dean had been zapped by Castiel to Bobby's. And whilst discussing how apparently stupid his idea was to say 'yes', Castiel was called away, and returned with a dirty, exhausted looking Adam under his arm, claiming that his resurrection was the angels doing. After lying Adam on the empty couch at Bobby's, Castiel branded him with the same Enochian symbols on his ribs that hid Andie, Dean and Sam from the angels.

This act caused Adam to wake up with a jolt, his eyes snapping open as he heaved a huge breath of oxygen into his lungs. "Where am I?" He gasped.

"It's okay." Sam said calmly. "Just relax, you're safe."

Adam looked wildly around the room from Bobby to Dean and Sam, and finally to Castiel. "Who the hell are you?"

"You're going to find this a little...a lot crazy," Dean told him carefully. "But we're actually your brothers."

Adam scoffed and looked at Sam. "It's the truth. John Winchester was our father, too. See, I'm Sam-"

"Yeah, and I'm sure that's Dean." He pointed to the eldest brother. "I know who you are. The angels… they warned me about you." He jumped to his feet. "Now where the hell is Zachariah?"

"Tell us everything." Dean demanded. "Start from the beginning."

Adam cleared his throat, and explained he had been in his heaven, at his prom making out with a beautiful girl, and the angels popped up out of nowhere and told him that he was chosen.

"Chosen?" Sam repeated. "For what?"

Adam smirked. "To save the world."

Dean chuckled. "How you gonna do that?"

"Me and some archangel are going to kill the devil." Adam said as plainly as if he were ordering breakfast.

"What archangel?" Sam asked.

"Michael. I'm his uh, sword or vessel or something, I don't know."

"Well, that's insane." Dean muttered.

"Not necessarily." Castiel spoke up, narrowing his eyes at Dean. "Maybe they're moving on from you. He is John Winchester's bloodline, Sam's brother. It's not perfect, but it's possible."

"You gotta be kidding me." Dean cussed under his breath.

"Why would they do this?" Sam asked Castiel.

"Maybe they're desperate." Castiel offered. "Maybe they _wrongly_ assumed Dean would be brave enough to withstand them."

Dean felt a surge of anger run through him. "Alright, you know what? Blow me, Cas." He snarled.

Sam stood between them. "Look, no way." He said to Castiel. "After everything that's happened? All that crap about destiny? Suddenly the angels have a Plan B? Does that smell right to anybody?"

Adam cleared his throat loudly. "You know this has been a _really_ moving family reunion, but uh, I got a thing, so-" He moved to leave but Sam blocked his path.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, no. Sit down. Just listen, okay? Please." He pushed Adam down by his shoulders so he was sitting again. "Adam…the angels are _lying_ to you. They're full of crap."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Adam replied dismissively. "They're _angels._"

"They tell you they were gonna roast half the planet?" Dean asked with raised eyebrows.

"They said the fight might get pretty hairy," Adam conceded. "But it is the devil, right? So we got to stop him." He paused. "And they told me about Andie. Half-angel. She's high on the watch list, y'know."

"Look, Adam," Sam cut in. "You don't know us from a hole in the wall, I know. But I'm begging you. Please, just trust me. Give me some time. We're gonna find another way."

"Give me one good reason."

Sam smiled. "Because we're blood."

Adam eyes narrowed. "You've got no right to say that to me."

"You're still John's boy." Bobby reminded him.

"No, John Winchester was some guy who took me to a baseball game once a year." Adam said maliciously. "I don't have a dad. So we may be blood, but we are not family. My mom is my family. And if I do my job, I get to see her again. So no offense, but she's the one I give a rat's ass about, not you."

Sam nodded. "Fair enough. But if you have one good memory of dad, just _one_, then you'll give us a little more time. Please."

Adam didn't say anything, but that also meant he didn't protest. So Sam kept an eye on him while Dean retreated to the kitchen for a much-needed beer. He snapped off the bottle top and took his phone from his pocket, sifting through the list of names in his phonebook, pausing at Andie. Then he thought better, and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Turning, he ran right into Castiel.

"I can bring her back." The angel said.

"No!" Dean said immediately. "No, not leave her where she is."

"She's not happy."

Dean held the beer bottle to his lips, inhaling the familiar, calming scent. "Naw, I didn't think she would be. Wait, I thought you couldn't sense her."

"I can't. Her grandmother keeps sending me messages." He tapped his temple. "I'm confused." Castiel looked puzzled. "You're not happy. She's not happy. If I just brought her back-"

"You wouldn't understand, Cas, it's a… human thing." Dean said.

"You sent her away to make yourself unhappy?"

"No," Dean sighed exasperatedly. "I sent her away to keep her safe."

Castiel paused. "You're right… I don't understand."

**

* * *

**

A week later, Cassidy was stacking plates into the dishwasher when she heard a knock at the door. Wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, she tip-toed through the living room so as not to wake Luka who was dozing on the couch in front of a football replay on TV, and went to answer the door.

"Oh," She said with a sneer, tossing the tea towel over her shoulder and glaring at Dean on her doorstep. "You."

"Is she here?"

"She's here." Cassidy replied. "Sleeping, I would hope. What do you want?"

"I wanna see her. I have some stuff she needs to know."

"Well; why don't you tell me and then _I'll_ decide if she needs to know." Cass said firmly.

"You're pissed at me," Dean could tell that from a mile away. "That's fine. I get it. I deserve it. But I have to talk to her, Cassidy. Please."

With a huge sigh, Cassidy contemplated just slamming the door in his face. But that scar on her palm randomly started to itch, the scar she shared with Andie. So, taking that as a sign, she stepped aside and let him through. "Upset her and I'll kill you." She warned him as he passed her.

Andie wasn't resting, she'd tried but the baby was just too active for her to get comfortable. So instead, she was packing her Go Bag. She knew Dean had arrived; her mental location had sensed him, so she wasn't surprised when he knocked and let himself into her room.

"You headed out?" He asked, eying her bag.

"No. It was Cass's idea. In case I go into labour; I'll have a bag packed." Andie explained. "She's good at being prepared."

"Yeah," Dean muttered in agreement, hanging by the door.

"What happened with Leah?" Andie asked.

"Well, she wasn't a prophet. She was a whore."

Andie smirked. "Come again?"

"It was all a ruse... she was working for their side, leading innocent people into battle, spilling blood for Lucifer."

"_Was_?"

"She's gone... Sam and I took care of it."

"Well... good." Andie folded a jumper into her bag and then realized she had zero baby clothes in there. "Crap." She yanked out the sweater and the t-shirts she'd thrown in. Cassidy had bought some newborn baby clothes the day before; the bag was behind Dean. "Can you pass me that?"

"Sure," Dean grabbed the bag and walked it over to her bed, unable to stop his curiosity from peering inside. He pulled out a tiny, pale yellow romper with a star embroidered on the front. "That... is cute."

"Yeah," Andie took the shopping bag and dumped its contents into her duffle.

"Zachariah's dead." He said a moment later, causing Andie to stop mid-pack. "And Adam and Castiel... are gone..." He sank down onto the bed and felt the soft cotton of the baby romper between his fingers.

Andie didn't know what to question first. "Adam? Your brother, Adam? Your _dead_ brother, Adam?"

"Yeah... the, ah, the angels pulled him back up..." Dean explained. "Then Zach zaps me to a room... I told him yes, to Michael. And before Mike arrives I stab Zach dead. I got Sammy out in time, but Adam?" he shook his head. "I dunno..."

Andie sat down on the bed next to him. "So... is Adam, Michael?"

"I dunno, maybe."

"And Cas?"

"The place was guarded with angels, Cas took 'em all on, banished them... and himself."

Andie shook her head, trying to clear it. This all was so confronting. "Banished where?"

"I dunno." Dean said again, tearfully looking aside at her. "Andie, I don't know anything anymore." He bit his lower lip. "Don't be mad at me." He begged, handing her the romper. "I'm so tired... and so friggin done with everything... I just... I can't handle you being mad at me, too."

"I'm not mad." She said. "Well, don't get me wrong, I was. But that was only because I knew you were right. It's not just about you and me anymore."

"Look, I have no illusions, okay? I know the life that we live, we know how that's gonna end for us. But when I found out that we were gonna have a kid… that _I _was going to have a kid?" He shook his head and let himself smile. "It made me happy. It made me wanna _be _happy. With you; and the kid."

"We could be happy." Andie said with a sigh, thinking about the long road they would travel to get there. "We could also fail miserably."

Dean let himself fall onto his back against the soft mattress. "I don't have a choice." He closed his eyes, a migraine pulling at his temples.

"Of course you do." Andie bit her lip and looked down at him. "Stay here with me. We'll run away. Together."

Dean smiled up at her. "We can't do that. We run; they'll just follow. Look… things are about to get really bad." He swallowed hard. "But I don't want you to worry… I'm gonna make sure you're okay."

Andie cleared her throat. "I hate this."

"Andie-" Dean tugged on her hand.

"No, I get it. I get it."Andie hushed him, lying beside him and burying her head into his chest.

"I'm sorry." He hugged his arms around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him. "I'm so sorry." He whispered into her ear. He then grazed her soft, tear-streaked cheek and placed his other hand against her belly. "If I had a choice Andie, I would choose you. Every time."

"Choose me now."

To this, he kissed her.

That night, Dean stayed, the couple made love, and by the time Andie woke up she knew he would be gone again. And he was. He had chosen her, but the fact was that choosing her meant letting her go. It was frustrating, infuriating and unfair; but it was Andie's life. A life she loved and hated, equally, but she lived it to the best of her ability; a life that would soon have to adjust to fit a child; a life that she had hoped she might just be able to share with Dean.

At least for a little while longer than this.


	36. Blackbird

_AN: Very long chapter. But I'm told having a baby takes awhile... _

**Chapter 36**

_Blackbird_

"Are you _sure _you'll be okay?" Cassidy asked Andie for the millionth time as she hugged her tightly around her middle, resting her cheek against her friend's heavily pregnant belly.

"Cass, you've been doting on me for almost three weeks now," Andie patted her head. "I think I can handle two days without you."

"We won't be long," Luka said from the doorway where he was stacking their bags. "Sounded like a regular ghost from the way the lady described it on the phone."

"It's going to take us longer to get there and back then it is to deal with the damn thing." Cass complained.

Luka smiled. "And I get to spend eight hours in a car with her. Fabulous."

Cassidy eyed Andie up and down. "Maybe I should try getting onto Zoe again; maybe she can take this case? Or come and stay with you?"

"Leave her alone!" Andie snapped with a wry grin. "Leave me alone! I'll be fine." She shoved Cass's hands off of her. "Go, go, go." She pointed to Luka. "Take your boy and go."

"I'll keep my phone on." Cassidy promised. "And Mrs. Landers next door is on notice if something goes wrong, ok?"

"Landers? The woman with the puke green station wagon? Cass, no."

"I don't want to hear an argument!" Cassidy held up her finger, trying to stamp down her authority. "We mapped it out. It's faster to drive to the hospital than to wait for an ambulance."

"Yes. Ok. Go. Now." Andie waved at her; eager to get the apartment to herself. Cassidy was a good friend to her but, _man_, she was irritating. Or perhaps the word was overbearing... or overprotective. She watched what Andie ate, made sure she slept, even got her out walking around the neighbourhood to keep her energy up. It would be nice to have free reign over the apartment, even for just a couple of days.

It took another ten minutes, but Luka and Cassidy finally left Andie alone. The first thing she did was get the ice-cream container from the freezer, park herself in front of an old black and white movie and begin to eat. The baby seemed happy enough, although every time she ate too much sugar the baby would roll around for a lot longer than usual, hopped up on junk food already, Andie assumed.

At some point, she dozed off, because her ringing cell phone woke her. "Cass, I'm fine." She answered groggily, keeping her eyes closed.

"No, it's me."

"Sam?" Andie heaved herself up, realizing she'd rested the ice-cream on her belly, and now it was all over the floor. "Oh, crap." She groaned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just... ice-cream explosion." She said, yawning and pushing herself up in her seat. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just checking in."

Andie paused, muting the volume on the television. "Does he know you're calling me?" She hadn't spoken to Dean since the night he left.

"No, no he doesn't." Sam admitted. "He's paying for gas, and picking out candy – so he'll be awhile."

"Where are you guys?"

"Indiana."

That was a few states away. "On a case?"

"Dunno yet. All we got right now is rain. And lots of it."

Andie pulled her sweater down over her belly, the day before her belly button had gone from an in-y to an out-y. "Is that why you called me? To tell me it's raining?"

"I'm just checking in..." Sam said again.

"Do you miss me?"

"No."

"Me neither."

Sam laughed. "He does." He said a moment later.

Andie smiled to herself, not sure what to say to that. "Listen... if you're headed this way for any reason... I wouldn't _hate_ seeing you..."

A sharp surge of static cracked through the phone line. "Th-.. be.. –re...- ay?" Sam stammered.

"What? Sam, you're cutting out." Andie sat up, trying to move around to get better reception; but she was pretty sure it was Sam's line that was having issues.

"An-...?"

"Sam?" Andie gave up and tossed the phone aside. "Idgit." A stabbing pain made Andie groan and grab at her lower back. "Dammit." She shouldn't sleep on the couch; it always left her with a sore back. "Fine; we'll go to bed." She told the baby. "I'll deal with you tomorrow." She pointed at the ice-cream stain on the carpet.

**xxx**

Dean was forced to pull off the highway, the storm was crashing down on them so hard the windscreen wipers of the Impala didn't even stand a chance against the torrent of water that sprayed down upon them. As luck would have it; they stumbled upon a hotel. Kind of old-fashioned in the way that seemed on purpose, The Elysian Fields Hotel was plush and expansive. It had a bellhop and the receptionist looked like he was from an old Clark Gable movie.

Sam checked the pair in for the night and then they headed straight for the buffet - the one that boasted the best pie in town. Not being too hungry, Sam loaded his plate with pasta and went to a free table. He took out his cell phone and again tried to get reception; he hadn't been able to get the damn thing working since he'd been cut off from Andie. Not uncommon, he knew, for electrical storms to interfere with phone lines, but they had been stopped short mid conversation. And with Dean not calling her, Sam liked having some sort of connection to Andie even if it was just via a cell phone.

Clanging his plate of pie down on the table, Dean huffed into his seat. "Come on, Sam, unpucker and eat something."

"We should hit the road, Dean."

"Why? 'Cos of the storm?"

"It's biblical." Sam pointed out. "Lightning so bad it messes up phone lines? Rain so hard you can't see the road? It's friggin Noah's Ark out there and we're- eating pie."

Dean narrowed his eyes at him, sensing he was keeping something close to his chest, hence his eagerness to keep moving. "How many hours of sleep you get last night, huh? Three? Four?"

"That's not it." Sam told him, forcing himself to eat some of his food, if just to get Dean off his back.

Dean paused, holding his fork in his piece of pie, and eyed his brother; having a sudden clue as to why he was being so cagey. "Look, if you're talking to Andie, you don't have to hide it."

"Ok, fine, yeah," Sam didn't see the point in keeping it quiet. "I'm talking to her. I call her every couple of days."

"Why?"

"Why?" Sam repeated, his eyes widening. "She's pregnant. She's like my sister. She's my friend. These are all good reasons; you pick your favourite."

"How is she?" Dean tried to ask nonchalantly, but his concern came through clear as day.

"Fine." Sam assured him. "Lonely."

"She told you that?"

Sam gave him a Look. "Of course not. But every time I call; she actually _talks_ to me. Full sentences, paragraphs even." Sam shook his head. "This isn't working, Dean. You two just splitting like that. Are you really going to go the rest of your life without speaking to her again?"

"Sammy; the rest of my life doesn't seem like it's gonna be all that long, now, does it?" Dean pointed out.

"What if she has the baby?"

"It's not due for like another month." Dean said quickly.

"And, what, you're hoping you'll be dead and won't have to deal with it? Or that she'll be-"

"Stop!" Dean cut in, his voice commanding, almost dangerous. "Don't say it! Of course not! With all the people we've lost? Why the hell would I want something like that to happen to Andie?"

"I don't know!" Sam said, an exasperated smile appearing on his tired face. "I still don't understand why you sent her away. Even eight months pregnant she's stronger than us."

Dean dove back into his pie. "It's because it was the right thing to do." He muttered.

"Yeah; if she were a normal, human woman having a normal, human baby." Sam reasoned. "But she's not. The normal rules don't apply. And I'm not willing to give up."

"No one's giving up!" Dean said sharply. "Especially me." He saw the uncertainty flicker across his brothers face. "We _will_ find a way to beat the Devil, ok? I can feel it. And we'll find Cas, and Adam, and Andie and the kid'll be safe, ok? But you are no good to me burnt out."

Sam sighed deeply. "Yeah... yeah, okay."

"I mean, come on," Dean tried to sound upbeat. "We actually get the night off for once; let's enjoy it."

**xxx**

Andie was having a peaceful dream; in fact it was a memory from years ago; singing karaoke with Cassidy in a bar in San Francisco. They were a hit. They'd sung a duet, a Spice Girls track, and it brought the house down. Andie hadn't thought of that moment for awhile; but it was a cheerful dream for once, with no dark, scary shadows lurking around it.

So when she woke up with a searing pain across her abdomen, she figured it was just the 'bad' part of her dream rearing its ugly head. So she waited for it to pass; or to wake up. And then she realized she was awake; and the pain was still there.

"Oh, God," She groaned as she tried to sit up; her body curling back into itself. Her insides felt like they were on fire, starting from her lower back and spreading around to her abdomen. "Oh..." She took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out, and repeated the process for a few moments.

Something felt wrong. Well, not wrong, but Andie's mind was telling her to get up; not to go back to sleep, that something was happened to her body and she had to deal with it. Still breathing slowly, Andie pushed back her covers and sat up in bed, clicking on her nightlight, terrified that she might find her sheets stained in blood. Thankfully; they were dry.

On her nightstand was one of Cassidy's baby books, _What To Expect When You're Expecting_. Andie had been flipping through it; but she hadn't read it all the way through yet; she was still at the part about preparing the baby's room. She kept breathing steadily as she flipped to the back of the book; recalling something about false labour. What she found was a chart that compared false labour to actual labour.

"Ok..." Andie skimmed the table titles. "_Where do you feel pain?"_ She muttered. "Lower back..." She skimmed the chart, pain starting at the lower back was a sign of actual labour. "Dammit." She breathed again and looked at the next title. "_How strong is the pain?..._ pretty freaking strong..." She reached for the cordless phone by the bed and dialled Cassidy's cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. "Cass? I think I'm in labour... call me... or come home... both would be preferable." She hung up and tossed the phone aside, skimming to a page in the book about how to soothe labour pains. The easiest thing she could do right now was focus her breathing, so she did. And the pain went away after thirty seconds, or so.

Now wide awake, Andie edged herself off the bed and got unsteadily to her feet. "Grams?" She called out, waiting for her grandmother's arrival. "Grams!" She shuffled slowly towards the bathroom, thinking maybe a warm bath would soothe her aches, similar to using a hot water bottle for menstrual cramps. She used her telekinesis to flick on the taps so she didn't have to bend over, slowly stripped off and lowered herself into the warm, comforting water. "Ok, ok, ok..." She muttered, closing her eyes and setting her hands against her belly; she could feel the baby moving around. "I know you want to come out... but believe me this is not a good time."

When the second contraction hit her, Andie knew that this was definitely happening. She'd never felt pain like she felt at that moment. Grunting out loud, she grabbed the side of the bathtub and squeezed until her knuckles were white. She kept holding her breath; it was hard to breathe normally but she forced herself to, breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out... She managed to count in her head this time, thirty-three seconds. Her previous contraction had been approximately a half hour before, and she knew she had until at least seven minutes between them before she really had to worry.

"Ok, we have time..." She muttered to the baby, pulling the plug from the tub and letting the water drain out around her. "We have plenty of time to get to a hospital, so don't come out yet, ok?"

After she got out of the tub, Andie threw on a black, cotton dress with thin straps; she didn't bother with any other clothing, it wasn't as though she needed to be dressed up for a birth. Suddenly, she was so grateful for Cassidy, because her Go Bag was already packed and ready. She grabbed it and sat on the bed, trying Cassidy's phone again. It went to voicemail. She left another message and then called Luka, his phone didn't even have a voicemail, and it just cut out. "Great, just great."

Andie had a sudden flash memory, Mrs. Landers. The neighbour next door; Cassidy had said she was on alert. The number was on a Post-It on the brim of the lamp, so Andie quickly dialled it. She could hear it ringing next door, and the sounds of someone walking to answer it.

"It is three in the morning, who is this?"

"Mrs. Landers? I'm Andie Morgan, I've been staying next door with Cassidy."

"Oh; yes... dear, are you alright?"

"I think my baby's coming... and I can't get onto Cassidy."

"Don't worry, I'll be right over." With that, she hung up.

Andie hung up, too, letting the fear she was feeling flutter around in her heart for just a minute longer. "See, Bug?" she rubbed her belly. "We'll hitch a ride with this old chick to the hospital, and you can be born there, in a nice, sterile, environment." She punched another phone number into the keypad. And again; was met with a voicemail. "Dean? It's me... the baby's coming. And I need you here so... please come." She hung up the phone, wondering why now, of all times, everyone decided to go off the grid.

"Are you alright, dear?"

Andie gasped as she turned to see Mrs. Landers, a woman in her eighties with greying brown hair and a penchant for too much floral, standing right in her bedroom doorway. "Yes," Andie answered with a shaky grin; wondering how the woman had gotten into the house, trying to remember if Cassidy had given her an extra key.

"Did you call an ambulance?"

"No, no, I was trying to call my husband." Andie forced herself to her feet. "He's not answering."

"Of course he's not." Mrs. Landers said sweetly. "He doesn't care about you. He left you here alone like a whore to have his child."

Andie narrowed her eyes at her. "What did you just say to me?"

Mrs. Landers eyes flushed blacker than sin. "And now your baby... is gonna burn."

With a swift flick of Andie's wrist, Mrs. Landers (or the demon who was possessing her) smacked against the closet door, tumbling inside. Grabbing her Go Bag, Andie dashed as quickly as she could through to the kitchen. Her hand grasped the salt shaker on the table, ripped off the lid and poured the salt into her head. Mrs. Landers was on her feet, advancing towards Andie with an evil sneer.

"Who sent you?" Andie demanded, threatening her with the handful of salt. "How many of you are there?"

Mrs. Landers laughed. "It would be faster to run around the world than to give you that list. Of course," She held out her hands. "If you'll just come with me; hand over your wretched child; we'll leave you alone."

"Dream on, bitch." Andie tossed the salt into the demon's eyes, causing her to screech and rear back, giving Andie time to snatch one of the many pure iron daggers Cassidy kept in one of the top kitchen shelves (commonplace in the house of a demon hunter) and stab it deep into Mrs. Landers's chest.

As she backed away from the dying demon, another contraction ripped through Andie's middle, so painful it brought tears to her eyes. "Oh, God, no..." She grunted, gripping the doorframe for support. "Not yet, just wait..." She grunted again. "Wait!" Breathing through the pain, Andie snatched her Go Bag off the floor, grabbed some of the cylinders of salt from under the sink and tossed them, and her cell phone, in with her clothes, and made her way through to the front door.

The worst of the contraction was over, but she was still in pain as she edged for the elevator. "Are you alright?" An elderly man stumbling along in a cane called to her as she repeatedly hit the DOWN button of the elevator.

"Yes, I'm fine, just leave me alone, please." Andie told him, now wary of everyone who might look at her. If Mrs. Landers was possessed; everyone in the damn building could be.

"Are you sure?"

The elevator pinged open. "Yes," Andie assured him as she got inside. "Just go away." The doors began to close; when suddenly the old man's walking stick was blocking them. With ease, he managed to push the doors back open. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Andie screeched, tossing her hands at the man and sending him flying back down the hallway. She let herself sink to the floor of the elevator as the doors closed fully and she began descending.

Realizing she was still crying, Andie tried to figure out what she was going to do next. She didn't have a car. She'd had to leave it when Cassidy came to pick her up when Dean sent her away; Sam told her it was at Bobby's. That was of no use right now. The elevator opened on the bottom floor, Andie pushed herself to her feet and waddled as fast as she could outside. And then there it was, like a gleaming light, Mrs. Landers puke green station wagon. She wouldn't be using it anytime soon.

Something Andie had taken for granted, but was now thankful for, when living in an apartment building inhabited predominately by the elderly was that there was a level of trust among them all; trust that meant Mrs. Landers had left her keys on the dashboard. Thankful again that she could fit behind the wheel of this old vehicle, Andie tossed her bag in the passenger's seat and started up the car. It coughed to life, giving Andie her way out. She peeled onto the road and started for the hospital. It was ten minutes away, she knew that from Cassidy's mapping out of the fastest route, she was ten minutes away from help.

_What if the doctors are all possessed?_

_What if the baby comes out while I'm driving?_

_What if Dean doesn't come back?_

_What if no one comes back?_

_What if the baby dies and I'm left all alone?_

_What if I die and the baby is left all alone?_

All these questions repeated over and over in her mind as she drove along; but she couldn't get her head around the answers to them. Perhaps her brain was too focused on other things right now. Pulling to a stop at a red light, Andie held her hand to her belly and breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm herself. The baby was kicking; _hard_; which didn't help matters. She wanted to come out; and she was pummelling her mother's insides to make her understand that she would be born tonight, no matter where they were or who they were with.

As the light went green, Andie felt the now familiar surge of a contraction hit her. But this one was much sharper than the earlier ones. It sliced through her middle and made her lurch forward, her chest pressing on the horn. Her toes curled up; pulling her feet off the pedals. "No!" Andie cried out in vain to no one as she lost control of the car, the wheel steering hard to the left and shooting her straight into a telephone pole, the front of the car obscenely crushed and broken with smoke fuming from the engine.

Andie didn't lost consciousness; thankfully she'd been well under the speed limit, but the car was trashed, and she knew she had to get out. Her Go Bag was still sitting helpfully beside her; so she slung it over her neck around her shoulder and tried to get out of the car. The shock of it crashing must have locked it in place; so she had to use her power to fling it open.

Leaning against the car for support; she looked up and down the street for a car; anyone to help her. But there was no one in sight. Suddenly she was worried; if a demon possessed Mrs. Landers so easily; then a demon could possess any passerby who stopped to offer 'help'. So, instead, Andie turned and hobbled to the building ahead of her. It was a half-finished home; being rebuilt from the ground up according to the sign sticking out of the grass next to the letterbox.

"Hello?" She called; after using her power to knock through the front door. The house was two-stories, but the top half wasn't complete yet. Its walls were wide open to the stars and there was no roof. Downstairs, however, looked mostly complete; except that there wasn't any furniture to speak of; just a whole bunch of tarps and left over pieces of wood and plaster.

"Grrr!" Andie growled as another contraction slammed her body, causing her legs to buckle. She felt like she couldn't stand, and then felt a warm liquid trickling down her bare legs. At first she thought she'd peed herself. "Oh, no," She whimpered eying the clear fluid at her feet. "No, no, no." Her water breaking meant the baby would be soon to follow. "No, no, no."

She crept towards a door inside the house; it led to a basement. Somewhere in her head, she knew this was the place she was going to give birth, and so the mechanical part of her body went to work. She sat on the top step and pushed herself down one by one until she was sitting on the floor. She pulled the salt she'd taken from Cassidy's kitchen from her bag and made a huge circle around herself; checking twice to make sure it wasn't broken. She took a black felt-tip pen from her front pocket and scrawled a Devil's trap in front of her, as well as a protection symbol on the wall beside her. Then she ripped whatever clothing she could out of the bag and found a sweatshirt that she placed on the floor between her legs. She stuffed a pair of jeans underneath that; wondering if the baby might shoot out, at least she'd land somewhere safe. It was all Andie could think to do.

Andie was hot and cold at the same time. She was sweating, and desperate for a drink of water, but she could feel herself shivering as well, perhaps it was nerves. Her body knew what it had to do; but Andie wasn't so sure. She pushed herself back up two stairs, so she was on an angle. Another contraction came over her; forcing her forwards. Andie tried to breathe through it but it was too painful and she just found herself panting. She could feel movement inside her now. Not the baby moving, but the baby being moved, being pushed out; being born.

Tears were streaming down Andie's face, tears for everything. For being alone, for her baby being born in a basement with demons on their tail, for being in so much pain when she'd planned to be as drugged up in a hospital as she could be. None of that mattered now; her mind was on one thing. Get the baby out now.

"Andie?"

She ignored the voice; it was Cassidy in her mind. Somehow, just in her mind.

"Andie, oh my God!"

The voice was louder now, so Andie forced herself to look up. Her best friend was kneeling before her in the Devil's trap. "You're a demon!" Andie cried.

"What? No, I'm not! I swear!" She jumped out of the devil's trap and rubbed her hands in the salt. "I'm really me, I promise! I got your messages and when I tried to call you wouldn't answer so we came right home. Dead Mrs. Landers and a bitching old man plus a stolen car told me you were gone; and then I saw the accident."

"Cass-"

"Luka's up there keeping watch; we smoked three demons at the apartment. They know this is happening."

"Cass, I'm having a baby!" Andie whined as she breathed through another painful contraction.

"I know, honey, I know," Cass said with a nervous smile. "And I'm gonna help you, ok?" She searched around in Andie's Go Bag and found a baby blanket, she set it aside and pulled a water bottle from her own handbag and washed off her hands.

"No, Cass, you can't!" Andie refused, pulling her knees together.

Cassidy just looked at her, bewildered. "Andie, I have to help you!"

"No! Don't." Andie begged tearfully.

"What?"

"Let me do it; I have to do it by myself!"

"Why?" Cassidy felt tears burning in her eyes.

"Because I do!" Andie cried. "It has to be me!"

"Andie-"

"I can't do it, Cass, I can't!" Andie screamed loudly. "I don't know how to be a mother! No one ever taught me how to-" She groaned through a heavy contraction. "I didn't want this! I didn't want to be alone! I don't want the baby to grow up scared; I don't want it to grow up like me!"

Cassidy didn't bother trying to stop herself crying. "You are _not_ alone, do you hear me?" She knelt up on the step by Andie and squeezed her hand tightly in both of her own. "I am right here with you, and I _need_ you to let me help you." She kissed her fingers. "You will _never_ be alone as long as you have me, do you understand? I am _not_ going anywhere."

"But... it's not..." Andie panted. "I can't... it knows I don't want it! I've never wanted this baby; not once, and it knows that!"

"You love your baby, Andie." Cassidy said firmly, smiling through her tears. "I love you. And your baby loves you. And she knows that you love her. You play her music, you picked a name, you carried her inside you and kept her safe. She knows how much you love her. And _I_ know how much you love her so don't give me that crap."

Andie let her head roll back and sobbed loudly. "It hurts, Cass, and Dean's not here. Ellie's not answering. No one's here!"

"I am." Cassidy said seriously, squeezing her hand again. "It's you and me against the world, right? That's what we always say. You and me, Andie. And right now you and I _have_ to deliver this baby, and I _need_ your help to help me do that, ok?" Andie just cried. "Please, I need you to help me here, I need you to help me, will you do that?"

Andie breathed as steadily as she could and nodded to her friend.

"Ok, good," Cassidy smiled, getting into position at the bottom of the stairs and pushing Andie's knees open. "Oh, Lord, ok, this is really happening right now." Cass's mind was racing; she tried to think back to what she'd read about delivery. She'd been so sure she knew everything there was to know; and right now she felt like she knew nothing. "Ok, Andie stop pushing." She remembered. "Stop pushing." She nodded at her friend and squeezed her knees. "Ok, just breathe. Now you have to push when you get another contraction, ok?"

Andie nodded. "Black—b-bird sing-singing in—

Cassidy gave her a strange look. _Was she singing?_

"In the dead of niiigggggg..." Andie tried to sing through the pain; it was as far as she'd gotten in writing her birth plan. The song. "Take... these... broken..." She growled loudly in pain as another contraction hit her; and she started pushing.

"_Blackbird singing in the dead of night," _Cassidy sang softly, and in tune, resting her hands on Andie's knees._ "Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise..._" She gasped in absolute adoration as the baby's head became clear. "Oh, God, Andie you're doing it; she had a head of dark hair.

Andie laughed painfully. "Dammit, Cass, it hurts."

"I know, baby, I know." Cassidy tried to appear calm, even though inside she was screaming. Instead, she kept singing. "_Blackbird... fly. Blackbird singing in the dead of night... take these sunken eyes and learn to see... all your life. You were only waiting for this moment to be free..."_

Andie felt another contraction coming on; but her energy was gone. "I can't!" She gasped, unable to find the strength to even push up off the stairs.

"Oh, no, no, no, not now," Cassidy shook her head. "No, you can't stop now, Andie you have to keep pushing."

Andie tried to push down but she felt like all her muscles were spent. "I can't, I can't push anymore..." She sobbed.

"Yes you can, honey," Cassidy urged her as she saw more of the baby's head. "Please, you have to keep pushing, it'll be over soon I swear, you're so close!"

"I can't!"

"Dammit, Andie, PUSH!"

"AGGGHHHH!" Andie hollered as loud as she could muster and pushed down so hard she thought her insides would burst out of her.

"Yes!" Cassidy cried. "Oh, God, you can do this Andie, one more. Her shoulders are out. Just one more, come on! On three, ok?"

Andie nodded feverishly.

"One." She breathed slowly. "Two. Three."

"GRRRRRRRRAHHH!" Andie pulled her knees up as hard as she could and pushed down with every might of her being that still remained.

"You did it!" Cassidy squealed as the infant almost tumbled into her arms, sticky, wet and crying. Now Cass's tears flowed like rain; the baby was perfect. "Oh, she's beautiful, Andie." Cass smiled to her friend who looked utterly exhausted.

"Is she okay?" Andie breathed, falling back into the stairs.

"She's fine." Cassidy said through streaming tears, placing the baby on the clean blanket. "Oh, she's fine..." Then she saw something that made her do a double take. "Oh, but you're gonna have to change her name."

Andie was suddenly alarmed. "What, why?"

"She's a boy." Cass grinned; wrapped the baby up under the blanket and showing him to his mother.

"What?" Andie looked and saw that, indeed, she had a son. There was no mistaking what he had there; he was a boy.

"It's a boy, Andie you have a son, you have a little boy!" Cassidy was barely able to hold in her excitement as she clipped of the umbilical cord with Luka's army knife and wrapped the squirming, screeching little man in a soft towel. "Oh; he's beautiful, Andie."

"Is he okay?" Andie's mind was racing again, for different reasons now. She had a son? A boy? "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Cassidy nodded and passed the crying baby up to her friend, resting him against her breast. "You have a baby boy." She said again; neither of them being able to fully believe it.

Andie took the tiny, wriggling little bundle of human being that was being handed to her. Her son. Her baby son. He was squealing so hard, his eyes were tightly closed and his little hands were balled into determined little fists. "Oh, hi." Andie said to him, touching the side of his face. He had a head full of dark hair, and as Andie spoke to him he quieted down a little. He kept whimpering, but he opened his eyes, looking at her, recognizing her. "I'm your mum." She said through more tears. His eyes were the bluest blue Andie had ever seen; no hint of any other colour within them. Just blue. He gripped Andie's little finger with his whole fist and squeezed it tight.

"I can't believe you did it." Cassidy said quietly as she peered at the baby boy in his mother's arms.

"Thank you." Andie said tearfully to her. "Thank you so much."

"It was all you, Morgan." Cass sniffled.

"He's a he." Andie said in disbelief, giggling. "And he's here."

"ANDIE?"

Cass's eyes flew to the top of the stairs. Dean was thundering down them.

"I got your messages and then Castiel showed up and said that..." He trailed off when he saw the baby in her arms. "Oh..." he seemed to collapse slightly onto the stairs, falling beside her, his eyes glued to his baby. "Oh, my God." He put his arm around Andie's shoulders and kissed her damp, sweating temple. "Oh, my God."

"Here." Andie shuffled the baby in her arms enough so that Dean could take him from her. "Say hello to your son."

"Hi..." He looked back at Andie, and then to Cassidy who nodded excitedly. "Son? It's a boy?" He peered inside the blanket to get proof for himself. "Oh, man, you are a boy. You're my boy." He held the fussing infant to his chest. "Oh, hi, Bug, hi," He said as tears fell from his eyes. "Oh, you're so beautiful." He kissed Andie full on the mouth and reached out to take Cassidy's hand. "Thank you." He said sincerely. "Thank you so much."

Cassidy smiled, looking at the peaceful family, proud of her involvement in bringing this little man into the world. "You're more than welcome."

**xxx**


	37. Mother Nature's Son

**Chapter 37:**

_Mother Nature's Son_

Baby Boy Winchester.

That was the name written on Andie and Dean's sons' little ID bracelet, and on his hospital cot tag. They'd been under the care of doctors and nurses for two days now, and everyone was fine. Even though Baby Boy was a few weeks early; he was still perfectly healthy. The doctor's just wanted to keep him in for observation for one more night.

Andie was petrified that every single member of the hospital staff was a demon; so Dean demanded that Castiel be on constant guard, and follow the infant everywhere he was taken.

The baby had spent the night in Andie's hospital room with Dean keeping a watchful eye on him. Today he was in the nursery, Cas of course standing by, so Andie could get some proper rest without anyone bothering her. Dean stayed in her room, sitting by the window staring at her sleeping.

"Knock, knock," Cassidy announced herself quietly as she came into the room with two Styrofoam mugs in her hands. "Brought you this. I got it down the street; the coffee here tastes like someone pissed in it."

"Thanks, Cass," Dean took the cup and inhaled the scent before swallowed a warming mouthful of caffeine.

"Don't mention it." Cass said, curling up in a chair beside him. "Where's Sam?"

"Getting some sleep at the hotel," Dean replied. "Luka?"

"Same. Well, after he swept the apartment building for demons that is," She shook her head. "I can't believe I didn't know Mrs. Landers was possessed."

"I can't believe I left her alone." Dean said, rubbing his temples.

"I left her alone, too." Cassidy reminded him, feeling a sudden wave of relief. Things really could have been a lot worse. "In that apartment with no one but a demon waiting for her to pop? Some friend I am."

"You delivered my son." Dean reminded her. "No matter what you think you did wrong; you're forgiven a million times over."

Cassidy playfully punched his shoulder. "You're sweet when you wanna be." She sipped her coffee. "Any new name ideas for the little guy? I know Andie was pretty settled on Madeline."

Dean laughed. "Yeah, I don't think he'd forgive me for naming him that. We'll think of something."

Cassidy watched him carefully. "Ok," she said, turning away from Andie and speaking in a low enough voice so that, in case she was feigning sleep, she still wouldn't be able to hear them. "I need to know if you're back, Dean."

"What?"

"You said _'we'll'_ think of something. That implies that you're staying with them." Cassidy said sternly. "I've been taking care of her for a month now, doing what _you_ should have been doing. And I'm not complaining, and I won't complain because I'll never leave her."

"Cass-"

"So, if you say _WE_," Cassidy cut in. "Mean it." She pointed to Andie. "That is your _wife_. You two have a _son_, now. You're a family. So no matter what crap you've waded through in the past; your baby boy is _all that matters_, do you understand me?"

Dean almost made a joke, but the look she was giving him told him to shut up. "I know, Cassidy. I understand." He assured her. "And I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

Cassidy's serious face broke into an easy smile. "Good." She took another sip of her coffee. "I still can't get my head around it... a boy?" She giggled. "I mean, Andie's entire family line is girls having girls. There's never been a son born, at least not one with her powers."

"You reckon he has them, then?"

"Well, yeah," Cass said. "He healed her when the Qeres almost killed her; he helped her find you when you were off the grid, y'know, mentally." She let out a low whistle. "Plus he's got demons on his tail already; I'd say your boy is pretty souped up." Dean didn't reply, making Cass glanced sideways at him. He was staring at a spot on the ground, his brow wrinkled in. "Oh, unclench," Cass nudged his knee with her sneaker. "Whatever he has in power he also has in protection. He's got angel in him now. Whatever comes after him would have to get past you _and_ me _and_ Andie _and_ Ellie _and_ Castiel _and_ his own angelic protection. Trust me; that kid is safe."

Dean appreciated her confidence, it was hard not to be positive when Cassidy was around. "Thanks, Cass. For all of this. If Andie didn't have you..."

Cass shrugged. "Then she wouldn't be Andie." She said smugly. "Ok," She rose to her feet. "I'm gonna go stare at your little boy for awhile. Last time I was down at the nursery he was the cutest baby there, I wanna see if that's still true."

"Make sure Castiel's still there, will ya?" Dean called after her.

"You gave him an order," Cass said with a smirk. "Of course he's still there."

As Dean finished his coffee, he noticed Andie stirring. "Hey," He said quietly, shifting his chair closer to her bed. She was snuggled into a ball so he could easily brush her hair out of her eyes. "You look better." He said with relief, she'd seemed so exhausted when he'd carried her into the hospital; now she at least looked rested.

Andie gave him a tired smile. "The baby?"

"Both Cass's are watching him." Dean said with wry grin. "He's fine."

"Have you seen him, is he ok?"

"You don't remember?" Dean asked, resting his hand against her cheek. "I don't blame you; you were pretty out of it when we got here. They said you were bleeding internally." Dean shook his head; wishing the memory away. Andie's pale, washed-out skin, her red eyes, she had looked so damaged. "But they fixed you up; and while they did I had him." He smiled. "The whole time; I held him. He's beautiful, Andie."

Andie's lower lip trembled and she started to cry.

"Hey," Dean said softly, leaning in closer to her. "Everything's okay now."

"I know," Andie sniffled. "I just can't control it." She rolled her eyes through her tears. "The crying, emotions." She huffed. "I am _over_ it."

"Well; you'll be outta here in a day or two." Dean promised.

"And where are we going?" She asked with raised eyebrows. "We don't have a house. We don't have a crib or a car seat or-"

"Sam bought us a crib." Dean cut in. "Well, it's one of those playpen things that can double as a crib. And Luka found car seat that actually fits in the back of Impala." He smiled. "Yeah, we don't have a house but..." He bit his lip. "It's not that bad, is it? Living on the road? My dad did it with us... and yeah; sometimes it sucked... but I'd rather us be together, y'know." He realized that Andie was stroking the side of his face with her fingertips.

"I know." Andie agreed with a smile. "It'll suck... but I don't do anything else." She sighed. "Staying with Cass? I mean, it was great... but I was so pregnant I couldn't move so I didn't mind. But now, I can't think of anything worse than that."

"Are we being selfish?"

"Probably." Andie said with a laugh, grimacing as the action made her tender body shudder slightly. "But we're parents now, right? We make the call."

"Yeah..." Dean thought about that fact for a moment. "Parents..." he carefully climbed up onto the bed and wrapped his arm around Andie's shoulders, sighing contentedly as she rested her head against his chest. "It's weird, right?"

Andie chuckled. "It's _totally_ weird."

"We have to name the boy, y'know." Dean reminded her. "Can't go through life as Bug."

"It's a good name," Andie argued. "And it suits him; when he came out he was all... bug-like."

"Excuse me?" There was a knock at the door, a nurse was standing there with a baby cradle in front of her, and Castiel over her shoulder. "Would you like to try feeding him?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Andie said, more because she felt she had to.

The nurse seemed perturbed that Castiel followed barely two steps behind her the whole way, but she didn't say anything. Instead she lifted the baby boy from the cradle and placed him in between Andie and Dean's bodies. "I'll come check on you soon, just buzz if you need a Nursing Coach," She said kindly. "And don't feel worried if he doesn't latch right away; it's new for the both of you. Just stay calm."

"Thanks." Andie smiled tersely as her son wiggled to break free of his tight blanket.

"Ah, Cas?" Dean said to the angel who was still staring at the baby. "Why don't you take five, hm? This ain't a peep show."

"I don't need rest." Castiel assured him.

"Just give us some privacy." Dean told him. "Pop back in like an hour, okay?"

"Very well." He nodded and disappeared in a blink.

The baby starting whimpering; he couldn't get his hands free of his blanket. "Hey, buddy," Dean pulled back the sheet slightly. "It's ok," He rubbed the baby's tummy. "We're your folks." He could lift the boy up with one hand; he was so light. "How are ya?"

Andie giggled, leaning against Dean's shoulder as he held the baby out in front of them. He was a much more content baby now, settled. His hair was still as dark as it had been when it was born, it reminded Andie of her natural hair colour, dark chocolate brown. And those eyes of his; perfect, ocean blue. His skin was still pink, but less puffy and speckled with redness than it had been. "He is so cute." Andie commented, playing with the baby's little fingers, each one had a perfect little nail. "I didn't expect him to be so cute."

"Are you kidding? He's made from us; of course he's cute." Dean brought the baby down on Andie's chest, resting him in the crook of her arm. "Now we gotta name you."

"Ok..." Andie sighed, unbuttoning the front of her hospital gown, settling the baby just in front of her left breast. "I have no idea how to do this."

Dean, just as clueless, frowned. "Can't you just shove it in there?"

Andie tried. "He doesn't want it."

"That's cause he needs a name first."

Andie groaned. "Fine, what do you propose we name him – and don't say Dean. The world does _not_ need two Dean Winchesters."

"Well... I still think Zeppelin is a good name." Dean said with a smirk.

"No." Andie said immediately.

"Why? You sang Blackbird when he was being born; you're totally into the Beatles so much that you wanted that to be the first thing he heard when he came out."

"And do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Let it be." She said with a smile.

Dean gave her a weird look. "The song?"

Andie nodded. "Paul McCartney wrote it for his mother, Mary, who died when he was fourteen. The Beatles were in a rough patch recording and stuff. And Paul, after a bender one night, he passed out and saw a vision of his mother. And she said to him 'It will be alright... just let it be.' And he woke up, and wrote that song, and the Beatles went on to record The White Album."

"So; what you wanna call him Paul?" Dean scrunched up his nose.

"No, no." Andie said. "It's just... their music is more than music. Or at least it always was to me. And it always stemmed from this other place, like they were connected to something else..." She shook her head. "I dunno, maybe they were just always baked; but I love them. Especially John. And then there's Bob Dylan-"

Dean held up a hand. "Ok! I get it, you adore the aging hippie rock; I'm with you." He thought for a moment. "Can't be coincidental that your dad's name is Dylan and mine's John."

Andie considered this. "Dylan John?"

"John Dylan?" Dean looked down at his baby.

"JD." Andie shortened it, and immediately it clicked in her mind. That was his name. "JD!" She looked at Dean; who wore the same expression that she did.

"That's his name," Dean said with a grin, reaching out and playing with his sons fingers. "JD Winchester."

As if on cue, little JD latched right on to Andie's nipple with such a shock she gasped. "Oh!" She almost lurched forwards and dropped him, but she caught herself in time and he managed to stay attached to her. "Oh, he's doing it!" Andie whispered excitedly. "Oh, wow, it feels so weird..."

"JD, don't hurt your momma!" Dean pretended to scold him. "Oh yeah; that's totally his name."

**xxx**


	38. Beautiful Boy

_A/N: Dedicated to my friend Bec, who had a rough day yesterday, hope the inclusion of Aurora here makes you smile ;)_

**Chapter 38:**

_Beautiful Boy_

It had been a week since JD was born, and Andie couldn't help but be kind of terrified by him. It wasn't that he was super-powerful, in fact he hadn't shown any supernatural abilities as of yet, but more she had no idea what to do with him. He was a lump. He was _her_ lump; but that's what he was. When he wasn't crying; he was sleeping like a doll. Andie would find herself staring at him, puzzled, waiting for him to do something. Explode, maybe. Or just jump up for some reason. Do something...

Dean was as natural a father as Andie had expected. He treated JD like a best friend; talked to him about everything, pointed things out to him explaining what they were ("This is a TV; you'll learn to love it"/ "That's a tree."/ "This is my other baby, the Impala."), and he was very hands-on. It made life easier for Andie who still struggled with feeding the baby; he fidgeted a lot, almost like he didn't want her holding him but felt he had to if he wanted to eat; and then when he was full he fussed until she put him down. It was disconcerting; that her own son didn't want her to hold him; but Andie tried not to let it bother her. Plus, JD didn't really like Sam holding him either, so Andie just assumed Dean was 'the favourite' for now.

Travelling with JD wasn't as awful as Andie thought it might be. For the first couple of days it was rough; the baby got scared every time the engine roared to life and would start screaming. But after a week of it; he started getting used to it. It still made him jump a little; but he didn't cry. And the playpen slash cot that Sam had bought was working a treat, even though it dwarfed JD when Andie laid him inside it.

Ellie was almost as shocked as Andie to see that she had a great-grand_son. _But she loved him immediately; and when she visited she never put him down. She sang to him, kissed and hugged him, rocked him to sleep; very grandmotherly duties. Again, Andie was pleased that if her son wasn't getting it from her; he was getting it from someone she loved.

As well as that, they had a goal, now; collecting the four rings worn by each Horseman of the Apocalypse. Apparently the Trickster, who Andie was told was actually an angel named Gabriel, had sent Sam and Dean his dying message. Collect the rings; cage Lucifer. The rings were the key; they would open the cage; and then all they had to do was shove Lucifer inside it. It sounded simpler than it was, especially since they only had two of the rings. Pestilence and Death's trinkets were still out there somewhere, and Dean wasn't too keen on searching for Pestilence, a bringer of disease, with a newborn infant in tow.

So while he and Sam travelled to Nevada to investigate a suspected Croatoan virus infested outbreak of swine flu that they suspected had Pestilence written all over it, Andie was staying put with JD in Wyoming.

"You can say if you don't want us to go," Dean told her for the millionth time as he headed out the door, Sam was already packed up in the car. "Seriously; I can stay here with you two."

"I'll deal, Dean," Andie assured him. "_Seriously_. It's only a couple of days."

"Yeah, but," he glanced over at JD who was lying in his cot.

Andie slapped her hands on his shoulders and shook him a little. "We'll. Be. _Fine_." She said with every shake. "Cassidy's coming to visit tomorrow and Castiel can just blink you back here if something goes wrong—which it won't!" She brushed her lips against his in a quick kiss. "Now, go. Fight. Conquer."

"Hang on," Dean suddenly dropped his bag to the floor and crossed the room to JD. "Hey buddy," he leant into the crib and ran his hand across his son's head. "Bug, I'm gonna be gone for a couple of days, okay? But I'll be back, I promise. Take care of your mother."

Knowing Dean's fear that he'd make the same mistakes as his father, Andie took his second goodbye to JD as more of something he did for himself rather than the baby. He wanted to assure himself that he would be back; he wouldn't leave for long stretches of time, he would be there for his son and take care of him. And he wanted JD to know that, as well as steel it within himself.

"Call me if anything happens." Dean said as he picked up his bags again, snaking his arm around Andie's hip and pulling her into a hug. "You two are gonna be fine."

"Yes, I know." Andie gave him a quick squeeze and untangled herself from him. "Go."

It was only when the roar of the Impala's engine died in the distance that Andie became aware that she was alone. With the baby. Her little lump of a son. Wandering over to his crib, she figured she may as well get him out of his pyjamas, it was almost noon. Unfortunately she didn't have any baby boy clothes, so she was forced to make do with what she had.

"I know, Bug, it's girly," She muttered to her son as she struggled to get his fussing little arms into a floral romper. "But in all fairness that's what I thought you'd be. Not that I mind, it just means until we get you more clothes, you'll have to deal with some pretty feminine stuff." Once he was dressed, Andie placed him on a blanket on the floor surrounded by toys and flopped tiredly onto the couch. "There you go, kid, enjoy yourself." She said, closing her eyes for just a minute.

Even though JD slept quite well, Andie was still recovering from one hell of a birth. She felt like she was starting on a half-empty tank and still hadn't gotten back to normal yet.

Andie felt as though she'd actually napped for about ten minutes when JD started crying. "What?" She sat bolt upright. Her senses were all over the place. JD could flinch and she'd accidentally toss something across the room. The baby was fine; but Andie could smell that he needed to be changed. "Oh, JD." She grumbled, getting to her feet and scooping the baby up. "Why do you wait 'til your father leaves to do this?"

As she settled her son into a clean diaper, there was a light knocking at the door. Curious, and wary, Andie set JD back in his cot and cautiously went to answer it.

"Surprise!"

Aurora flung her arms around Andie so fast she winded her.

"Good, Lord!" Andie coughed.

"I'm sorry I didn't call, I just had to come see you when Cassidy told me you'd had the baby." Aurora bustled into the room and tossed a handful of bags on the couch. "Oh, there he is." She cooed, creeping over to JD's crib and cuddling him up in her arms. "Oh; he's gorgeous." She rested the baby on her shoulder and softly ran her fingers across his dark hair.

Andie was more intrigued by the bags Aurora had brought with her. "What is all this?"

"Well, when Cass said you had had a boy and not a girl, I figured you'd need new clothes for him." Aurora swayed back and forth with JD comfortable in her arms.

Andie sifted through some cute little t-shirts with trucks and planes on them, pale blue singlets and rompers, even some green and yellow striped socks. "Thanks - really." Andie said, pulling out all the clothes. "You've saved me a trip."

"You're welcome. I figured you wouldn't be that into baby shopping, but man I could have been in that store all day." Aurora rested JD down in the crook of her arm and let him suck on her finger. "Wow; he looks like Dean with those eyes..." She mused. "Different colour... but same expression."

Smiling, Andie thought she might take the opportunity to have a little time to herself, if JD was this happy with Aurora. "Can you watch him for like ten minutes while I take a shower? I just changed him; he's been fed, he should be fine-"

"I thought you'd never ask." Aurora grinned, sitting herself cross-legged on the floor. "Take your time; we'll be right here."

Andie had never thought of a shower as invigorating, but this one was. It was so soothing; the hot water beating down on her back, washing off the faint smell of baby vomit, and she was finally able to wash her hair. It was easy to lose track of time in there, and by the time Andie came wafting out of the bathroom in a robe with her hair wrapped in a towel; it was early afternoon.

Aurora was still on the floor with JD, she was resting him on her knees, playing with his hands, and singing to him. "_Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there/With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair_..."

"Are you singing Bob Dylan?" Andie asked her with a smirk.

Aurora grinned. "Yeah, I know his stuff more than The Beatles; I figured it's never too early to start learning the music of one's namesake."

With a nod of approval Andie went to her bed and fell heavily onto the mattress. "Oh... lying down is nice."

"Do you want me to watch him while you take a nap? I could take him to the park-"

"No!" Andie said immediately. "He stays with me. It's not personal..."

"No, I get it," Aurora assured her. "It's ok; he's looking about ready to nap himself. And I," She rose to her feet and tucked JD under one arm. "Have got to get moving." She gently laid the baby down in his cot.

Andie opened one eye at her. "What? You just got here."

"I know, but I'm only passing through, I have a case in California."

"Bypass Nevada if you can." Andie warned, without going into the details of the possible virus outbreak.

"I will." She patted Andie's foot as she passed her and dug her purse out of the bags of baby clothes. "Just sleep, ok?"

"Thanks, Ror," Andie said tiredly, already feeling sleep overcome her. She was still warm from her shower and so comfortable in her bathrobe, and the baby was on his way to sleep as well; she was relaxed, for once. "Thanks..."

Silently, Aurora slipped out of the hotel room and left both mother and baby to slumber.

**xxx**

Andie knew JD was screaming; she could hear him, but she couldn't move.

There was something on her chest, something pushing her down into her mattress. A foul, putrid smell filled her nostrils. Opening her eyes, Andie was face to face with the hideous form of what used to be a woman. Now, she just looked dead. Her eyes were hollow, black gaps in her skull, her hair was long but thin, matted and gray, her face was grotesque, spitting and snarling down at Andie, gripping her with her talon like hands.

"Get offa me, bitch!" Andie screamed, pulling up her knees and kicking the creature off of her. She sprang to her feet before the demon did, and swung her hand at it tossing her swiftly into the bathroom. Whipping an iron knife from the bedside table, Andie was approaching the lavatory when she became aware that she couldn't hear JD anymore.

Rushing to the cot, fear gripped around Andie's heart like a tight fist. It was empty. "NO!" Her eyes darted to the open door, the trail of dirt leading from the cot to outside. Full of fury, Andie stormed into the bathroom and grabbed the demon by the throat, channelling her power through her fingertips to lift the creature of her feet. "WHERE IS HE?" She bellowed. "WHERE THE HELL IS MY SON?"

**xxx**


	39. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby

**Chapter 39:**

_Keep Your Hands Off My Baby_

_It's my fault. All my fault. I wasn't watching him. I wasn't attentive. I just let him sit there like a lump and get kidnapped by a demon before he was even two weeks old. Great mothering, Andie, way to set an example..._

Andie had beaten her fists bloody into the creature to subdue it, before locking it securely in a Devil's Trap. Kneading her wounded knuckles together, Andie paced back and forth in front of the demon, furious at herself for letting this happen. "I know you used to be human, somewhere in there," Andie murmured having kneeled in, whispering to the demonic creature. "So I know you can talk; tell me where you took my son."

She was just met with a snarl in return, the creature hissing and spitting like an angry feline.

"Andie."

"Cas!" Andie jumped as the angel appeared before her.

"I can't sense the child." He seemed as worried as he could seem, with his stoic demeanour.

"I know, neither can I." Andie said, trying as best as she could to mask her worry, and her guilt. She was never going to be a natural-born mother, but she should have protected her son at the very least. He was innocent. And she'd just been lying there in bed while one of these creatures snatched him up and ran off. "What is she?" Andie nodded her head to the creature.

Castiel cocked his head to the side. "Cihuateteo." He said after a moment.

Andie just gave him a Look, she understood about half of what he said most of the time.

"From Aztec mythology, the Cihuateteo are spirits of human women who died in childbirth." Castiel explained. "They considered childbirth a form of battle, and the women who died delivering were honoured as fallen warriors."

Andie could totally get on board with _that_; but it didn't explain why JD was missing.

"But their spirits were angry." Castiel continued. "They became the Cihuateteo – a demon - unable to pull away from their human lives, stuck by their grief. They grow the claws of an eagle; a bird known for its fierce protectiveness of its young."

Andie felt a tight migraine forming at her temples. "So, what, they steal my son as a replacement?" She said, her arms tensed across her chest.

"More or less." Castiel said. "Cihuateteo haven't been seen in centuries, but with Lucifer breaking out of Hell..."

"Who knows what else got out?" Andie finished for him. "Ok," She took a deep breath. "How do we find JD?" Castiel didn't answer her, which sent a ripple of fear up her spine. "Castiel. _HOW_?"

"I don't know." A brief flicker of pity grazed across his face, but only for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Her heart racing in fury, Andie glanced over at the tied down Cihuateteo demon and narrowed her eyes at her, channelling her power to strike as much pain within the creature's insides as she could. The screeches from the demon were horrid, like cawing crow and a woman screaming in agony.

"What are you doing?" Castiel asked, curious, not concerned, he didn't dare stop her.

"She knows." Andie muttered. "She knows where he is. She was holding me down while her friends took him away." She clucked her tongue. "Can you sense them?" She nodded at the creature, releasing her power and letting the demon regain some composure.

"Yes."

"Then they left a trail." Andie said. "Which means you can find out where they are, or at least which direction they went; which means you can find where they took JD."

Castiel merely nodded and flitted away silently, leaving Andie alone again with the Cihuateteo.

"Why him?" Andie asked, narrowing herself in on the creature again. "Why my son, hm?"

The Cihuateteo snarled and howled, a low guttural moan, and cocked her head to the side at Andie, studying her.

"I know you understand me." Andie continued. "And let me assure you, I will take great pleasure in ripping you apart." She smiled sweetly, and then let out a yell from deep within her stomach. "WHERE IS HE?"

"The...nessssst." The Cihuateteo hissed suddenly.

Andie was taken aback. "The nest?"

"The... ness_sss_t." The Cihuateteo nodded her grotesque head up and down.

"Why him?" Andie asked again.

"Becausssse... he is_sss_ our end..."

Andie could feel tears welling in her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of this horrible being. "Whose end? Demons?"

"Jussst... end..."

"He's an infant." Andie argued. "He's barely a week old; he's not even showing powers yet; why do you want him?"

"We _don't_... we... were... told..." Each word seemed to take all the Cihuateteo's energy to heave in and out of her rotting chest. "He mussst beee... sssstopped."

Ignoring this statement, because the fact was JD couldn't even roll over yet so theoretically stopping him would be simple, Andie continued her questioning. "Where is your nest?" She demanded.

The Cihuateteo let her head roll back. "Goooneeee." She wheezed vacantly.

The front door burst open with Cassidy flouncing in with an air of content around her. "Where's my little neph..." Her face dropped when she spotted the demon. "-ew." Cass looked from the creature to Andie. "What happened?"

"They took JD."

Without even moving, Cassidy stuck both her hands out in front of her and sent two high voltage waves of electricity directly into the Cihuateteo's body, making her spasm and cry out in a sickening call. Slamming the door shut behind her, Cass kept her power charging into the creatures' body as she approached Andie's side.

"Took him where?" Cassidy finally relented, her power leaving the Cihuateteo barely consciously, slumped on the floor directly in the centre of the Devil's Trap.

"I don't know, Castiel's looking."

"How did they get to him?" Cassidy glanced sideways at her friend, who didn't answer her. "Andie."

"Because I let them." Andie admitted. "I was sleeping. And they just came in... and took him." The sudden weight of what had happened hit Andie like a truck and her legs gave way, she wound up on the floor panting each breath. Hormones were still racing through her body, trying to get back to normal, her emotions were wild as it was, and now this. Now she'd been stupid enough not to put a protection amulet around her son, or make Castiel just stand there and watch him, or just do it herself. He was _her_ son and _she_ had failed him.

"Andie," Cassidy crouched in front of her and took her hands up in her own. "It's going to be ok."

"Dean." Andie said, surprised at how weak her voice sounded. "How... how am I gonna te-tell him?" She stammered.

"It'll be okay," Cassidy tried to assure her, still trying to get her head around what was happening. Less than a minute ago all she'd wanted to do was hug JD. That was still true; but man there was a helluva a lot more danger now than the possibility of the baby spewing on her. "We're gonna get him back before you know it." She said, sounding more confident than she felt.

"I found the trail." Castiel popped into view again, this time behind Cassidy, causing her to jump and curse simultaneously, which was beginning to be commonplace for when Castiel snuck up on her.

"Where?" Andie managed to find her feet and climb up off the floor, with Cassidy's hand still securely gripped in her own.

"We'll need more than just you." Castiel's eyes rounded on Cassidy, seeing her for the first time. "You'll do." He held a hand out to each woman. "We have to leave now."

The moment Andie and Cassidy's skin brushed against Castiel's hands, they were yanked off their feet by that invisible hook that seemed to snatch from the inside whenever Castiel travelled with passengers. It was definitely not Andie's favourite way of shifting around, and in that moment she understood Dean's need to drive everywhere rather than take a plane. There was something very unsettling about not being able to feel solid ground beneath your feet; and knowing that you were headed somewhere where you would need to _land_.

Although you never did _land_ when Castiel blinked you around; ground just appeared underneath your feet when previously there had been nothing but space. Cassidy, dizzy, fell right on her backside when they 'landed', but Andie was way too keyed up to do anything but move. She walked forwards, sensing her surroundings.

They were in the middle of nowhere, again. But unlike most of the 'nowhere's' Andie had been, this one was actually barren. There was nothing. No trees. No road. No buildings. Nothing. The sky was dark and clouded, threatening rainfall, and the ground was course, brown dirt, kicking up in miniature dust storms with every step Andie took. After about twenty paces, she turned expectantly to Castiel, and a worried looking Cassidy.

"Well?"

"This is where the trail ends." Castiel said.

"There's _nothing_ HERE!" Andie's voice rose with every word, her face reddening in frustration. "Look around!"

"They're here." Castiel said firmly. "Listen."

Andie, tense as she ever had been, forced herself to stay put and drown out the sound of her heart reverberating in her eardrum. Closing her eyes and taking a few steadying breaths, Andie listened. She heard nothing but the sound of a soft breeze rustling through her hair. There was no weird, other-worldly sound like she expected, no cawing, no screeching. Nothing.

Cassidy, who was listening as intently as Andie, gave up with a huff and looked about ready to send an electrical spark right into Castiel. "I don't hear anything."

"You won't." Castiel replied curtly, not taking his eyes off Andie. "Listen."

Her breathing becoming more even, Andie felt her heart stop racing, and for some reason she sensed a surge of calm warm from within her. And then, she heard it. JD. Crying. "I can hear him." She mumbled.

"I hear nothing!" Cassidy yelped irritably.

"I can hear him." Andie said, waving her hands at Cassidy to silence her.

"Morgan, I don't hear anything." Cassidy said fearfully.

"I do!" Andie assured her, moving towards the sound of JD's cry. "I hear him..."

"Morgan..." Cassidy followed her, eyes desperately searching the surroundings. "There's nothing here! Even if you could hear him; there's nowhere he could be!"

"The creature in the hotel room said he was in a nest." Andie turned to Castiel, ignoring Cassidy's worrying.

"See; how can a nest be around here? There are no trees." Cassidy pointed out. "No nothing."

"Not all nests are in trees..." Andie said, just to prove her wrong but as she said it, her eyes flickered to the deep orange-brown desert floor. "He's underground." She said, almost smacking her forehead. "He's underground! The nest is underground!"

"Ok, ok," Cassidy jumped on board with her train of thought. "But where? There are miles of ground around here... where do you hear him?"

"I..." Andie stood still, getting her bearings, closed her eyes and started listening. All she could hear was his cry all around her; she tried to hone in on it, narrow it down to one area, where was it loudest?

"Andie... what are you doing?" Cassidy sounded confused.

"Ssh!" Andie kept her eyes closed and kept focusing. A gentle wind picked up around her, she felt dust hitting her in the face, but didn't let it break her concentration. It was working; JD's cry was getting easier to isolate.

"Andie!" Cassidy sounded frightened now; and really far away.

Finally, Andie opened her eyes and almost yelped. A giant hole, at least ten feet wide, had opened up in front of her. The wind died down, and Cassidy, covered in so much dust her blonde hair was now russet brown, stood beside Andie. "What was that?" Andie murmured.

"I dunno." Cassidy said irritably, trying to shake some of the dust off of her. "But it would be really great if you didn't do it again."

"You found the nest." Castiel arrived at Andie's other shoulder.

"Down there?" Andie peered into the abyss of darkness beneath her; she couldn't see the bottom.

"Yes." Castiel said, holding his hand out to her.

Cassidy went around to Castiel's other side and took his hand, expectantly waiting the quick journey ahead of them. For the second time, the trio were angelically transported; and for a second time Andie had no idea where she'd land. At least this time, she was more aware of what to expect, and immediately started to walk around when they landed at the bottom of what she assumed was the hole her power had unearthed.

The 'nest' looked nothing like Andie pictured it. She had assumed there would be a circle of some sort; with the Cihuateteo's all around it, guarding it or something; but instead what she saw was basically just an empty cave. There was light, from somewhere Andie couldn't see, that gave the cave a creepy, candescent glow, and the smell of fresh dirt was in the air.

"What... the... hell...?" Cassidy grumbled with each step as she met Andie at the edge of a large boulder.

"Demons like the underground, that's nothing new." Andie said, realizing she couldn't hear JD anymore; yet she knew, somehow, she was definitely in the right place. She started to walk forwards, nothing to shield her now, just open space, with Cassidy right beside her.

JD's cry rang out through the nest like a bell in church, and it echoed off all the walls around the pair of women on edge...

"Come out!" Andie found herself yelling, from a voice that screamed from within her. "Where are you? Get out here!"

Two Cihuateteo came out of the shadows, each advancing on Andie and Cassidy with murder in their eyes; pure maternal protection. They were protecting JD; not harming him. Not that it mattered to Andie. They had something of hers; and she would fight tooth and nail to get it back.

Cassidy sent a surge of electricity into the Cihuateteo that rounded on her while Andie knocked the demon that lurched forwards back off her feet, sideways into the rock wall. Two demons down, Andie and Cassidy stealthily crept forwards, deeper into the cave, coming across the path of more demons as they did so, but they were so in sync, so focused, and so powerful, they mowed them down with ease.

At some point, Cassidy told Andie to go ahead and look for JD, so she moved through the cave steadily on her own. Up ahead she saw a cluster of what, at first, she assumed were more rocks. But the closer she got, the more she saw these 'rocks' were moving in a circle, slowly, all humming under their breath, nothing tangible, just making noise. As Andie slowed, she saw that what they were circling was a solid, rock cradle-like stone; it looked like someone had taken a giant ice-cream scoop and lifted out a perfect lump of rock leaving a circular gap in the centre.

JD was inside, fussing, crying and suffering. Andie could see him, and the moment she laid eyes on her child; her flesh and blood being encircled by sickening demons, she felt more hatred rise in her blood than she had ever felt before. More than the hatred she'd carried for her mother, more than what she'd felt for being alone her whole life, more hate than she thought a person could feel. She wanted to explode. No, she wanted the Cihuateteo's to explode. All of them.

"_GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SON_!" She bellowed, thrusting her hands out towards the Cihuateteo's, guiding her power through her hands and her eyes and directing it at the creatures that towered around her baby. Each one of them seemed to be hit with the same amount of force; all of them screeching demonic howls as their skeletal bodies crumbled against the sides of their nest. Andie's feet were flying across the ground as she reached the solid, rock cradle that held her son.

Within which, was JD, screaming and wriggling, his arms reached out in front of him, as if grasping for something that wasn't there. Andie reached into the cradle and took her son to her breast feeling immense relief wash over her as her child squealed in her ear. "I know, I know," She said, letting tears flow from her eyes.

It was profound, the feeling Andie felt in her heart. She hadn't realized how tied to this child she was. Yes, he was her son. Yes, she was his mother. But Andie had never understood what that meant until now. He was woven into her body, into her blood, and soul. He was hers; and she'd let him down, almost losing him in the process.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," She wept, clutching her screaming child to her chest, trying to shush him. "I'm so sorry." She pecked soft kisses across his delicate head. "I'll try harder, I promise." She pledged. "I'll be better at this; I'll figure it out... somehow." She cradled JD tightly over her heart. "I'm so sorry, baby," Andie didn't know how long she sat there, rocking her son back and forth in her arms, crying her apologies to him, hoping that he was too young to hold this against her, and then knowing how long it took her to get over her mother's suicide, and hoping her son didn't grow to resent her.

Cassidy fell to her knees beside Andie, panting. "Is he okay?" She asked breathlessly.

"I think so," Andie muttered shakily, pressing a kiss to JD's forehead.

"They're gone." Cassidy said. "The Cihuateteo's. Castiel was a total BAMF."

On cue, Castiel walked into view behind Cassidy, eyeing the baby carefully. "He's ok." He said with relief.

"Yeah, yeah, I think so." Andie said.

"No, I mean they didn't turn him..."

"Turn him?"

"A newborn child is born neutral, not good or evil. They can be raised either way; and it doesn't take long for the process to be set into play." Castiel gave her the closest thing he would ever get to a smile. "He's still good."

Andie smiled down at her fussing, but quietening son. "Of course he is." She shared a tearful look with Castiel. "Take us home."

**xxx**


	40. In Spite of All The Anger

**Chapter 40**

_In Spite of All The Anger_

JD was still fussing when Andie, Castiel and Cassidy appeared back in their hotel room. The remaining Cihuateteo, still wheezing and panting in the Devil's Trap, was removed by Castiel and Cassidy quickly cleaned up all the remnants of demonic activity in the room. JD, however, didn't seem to forget that his crib had been where he was kidnapped, and refused to be set in it. He just screamed and screamed. Andie, feeling awful that he'd been taken in the first place, instead kept him in her arms and laid with him on her bed.

After Cassidy finished scrubbing the Devil's Trap on the floor, washed all of JD's sheets, and basically sterilized the whole hotel room; she showered and flopped down on Sam's double bed. "Yawn." She said tiredly, curling up in ball.

"Do you think I suck at this?" Andie voiced her biggest fear completely out of the blue; she hadn't even realized she'd admitted it until Cassidy answered.

"No." Cassidy said. Not immediately, not just because she felt she had to, because she was being honest. That's just how she was. "You're new, sure, but if sucked as a mum you wouldn't be holding your baby right now."

Sighing, Andie ran her hands across JD's dark head of hair, he was finally calming down. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"You think you're the first new mother to say that?" Cassidy chuckled. "You just have to find what works for you, Morgan. No, you're not gonna be the type of mum who dresses their kid up like a doll, but you just risked your life to save him. That's a mum, and that's the kind of mother you need to be."

Andie smiled thankfully at her, wondering how she got so wise when she had no experience, although she had read up on pregnancy a hell of a lot more than Andie. "How mad do you think Dean's gonna be?" She said; unable not to smile a little out of nervousness more than anything else.

Cassidy's laugh was muffled by her pillow. "I get serious Papa-Bear vibes off him already, so..." She tiredly raised her hands. "Dunno."

"Thank you, Cassidy." Andie practically whispered, letting herself close her eyes and relax. "For everything."

"Pleasure..." Cassidy replied.

**xxx**

Dean was more than mad. Furious didn't quite cover it, but he didn't want to yell in front of JD, so when he and Sam returned from their trip, having successfully located Pestilence, he drove himself to a bar almost immediately leaving Sam, Cassidy and Andie with JD at the hotel, the trio set about protecting JD as much as they could, which to Cassidy meant stitching a protection sigil into his blanket.

"Dean just needs to relax," Sam tried to be as helpful as he could, assisting Andie with making a protection bag to keep in JD's crib. "This trip... sucked."

Andie just nodded. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, JD curled up in her lap sleeping against her thigh. "He has every right to be angry, I guess." She murmured. "So... Pestilence was a no show?"

"Well, it wasn't him." Sam shrugged. "Crowley told us where he is."

Andie was only slightly familiar with Crowley; she'd had no interaction with him as of yet, but she'd heard stories from Sam and Dean, and the first thing they'd told her when they came back was that Crowley, former King of the Crossroads and Lilith's right hand man, had told them he was in hiding from Lucifer. He told them that the demon to lead them to Pestilence was a man named Brady; who Sam soon realized was someone he'd thought of as a friend back in his college days. It was revealed Azazel, worried Sam was losing his potential, had Brady introduce Sam to his girlfriend, Jess, to subsequently murder her and get Sam "back on track". After Brady revealed where Pestilence was; Sam had killed him. It had been highly emotional for him, and returning to Andie and his nephew, he seemed more exhausted than after a normal road trip slash demon hunt.

"So we keep looking," Andie said with a sigh, handing Sam the herbs she'd weaved into a plait to put in the protection bag.

"Ta-daa!" Cassidy announced, coming out of the bathroom, holding up JD's baby blanket in her hands. She'd woven a perfect symbol into it; and to anyone who wasn't aware it would just look like a weird pattern. "This'll keep the little guy safe."

"Here." Andie managed to lift her son out of her lap without waking him and passed him up to Cassidy. "Can you watch him for me?"

"Course," Cassidy took JD and rested him on her shoulder, automatically starting to sway back and forth with him.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked as she got up and stepped into her boots.

"To receive my screaming from my husband." She said with a tight lipped smile. "No point putting it off, and I'd rather not fight in front of the kid when he gets back."

**xxx**

The _Jaguar Bar&Grill_ was where Andie found Dean, sulking in the back booth of the establishment with an empty beer bottle in front of him and a fresh one in his hand. "So..." Andie said tersely as she slid into the booth across from him. "You're pissed at me, and I get it, that's fine. I deserve it."

"Andie-"

"I let our son get kidnapped." Andie said, holding out her hands. "You could not hate me more than I hate myself."

"I don't hate you." Dean muttered into his beer bottle. "Andie, I'm not mad at you... well, I am... but..." He shook his head and swigged from his beer bottle.

"Then... what?"

Dean caught her eyes, exhaled a deep breath, and set his beer down. "When my mum died my dad wasn't there..."

Andie narrowed her eyes at him; just watching him for a minute. "Do you think this happened because you weren't there?"

"I _should _have been there, Andie." Dean said, jabbing his finger down on the table. "You gave birth less than two weeks ago; it's been hell for you. You need help- _my_ help. We're supposed to be in this together and I left you." He seemed so angry at himself.

Andie reached out and squeezed his wrist in her fingertips. "Dean... we _are_ in this together. But that doesn't mean we have to be together _all the time_. We can't live like that. And it wouldn't be good for JD if we did."

"Yeah, maybe." Dean grumbled.

Sighing, Andie tried to ignore her inner-hatred of public displays of affection and shifted to Dean's side of the booth, sidling up right next to him and looping her arm around his neck, pulling his cheek to her lips. "Definitely." She whispered, kissing him again, but this time he tilted his head to the side so she kissed him full on the mouth. "So let's go home to him."

**xxx**

Cassidy had managed not only to get JD to sleep; but to get him to sleep in his crib, his newly protected sigil-stitched blanket tucked gently around his middle. She'd managed to get Sam to sleep as well; but put that to a hearty dose of tequila.

"I'll take the couch," Cassidy offered. "I planned on getting out of here tonight, but way too tired to drive home now."

"No, no, that's fine," Dean said. "Take my space, I'll take the couch."

"Really? You sure? 'Cos I'm not gonna pretend to be polite and decline, here." She was already kicking off her shoes.

It didn't take Andie long to see why Dean preferred the couch, he could pull JD's crib right up next to his head, literally watching him sleep. He gave Cassidy the same reason he'd given Andie back at the bar; his wife needed rest and he needed to help more. So, this was him helping. Under the guise of being gallant and giving Cassidy a bed to sleep in, he was able to be the uber-protective father that lurked around somewhere in his subconscious.

Cassidy really didn't need to be told twice, she was under the covers and asleep within ten minutes.

Andie knelt beside JD's crib, watching his peaceful slumber with jealousy; she wished she could sleep like that so soon after a demonic kidnapping. "He's so... resilient." She whispered.

"I know," Dean agreed, folding up his jacket into a makeshift pillow. "Winchester blood."

"Morgan blood." Andie countered with a smirk. "I'm forgoing the hyphenated last name in your favour, so you can at least give me this."

Dean gave her a tired wink. "You got it, Morgan."

Andie gave each of her boys a kiss on the forehead, and then stepped away from the couch, but Dean's hand clutched at her wrist. "No, I want you to stay here." He said stubbornly. "Come on."

Too tired to argue, Andie let him pull her down onto the couch, giving her the more comfortable side so she could nestle her back into the cushions. He wrapped his arm around her and rested his cheek against her temple, letting out a contented, breath that gently blew through her hair. Andie manoeuvred her head into the little nook just above Dean's against his chest; she loved that nook. It was so comfortable; and it didn't bug Dean, either, like the way she clung to the side of his body like a baby koala; _that_ he didn't like. But she was more than welcome in his nook; as he took great pleasure in reminding her with whatever double entendre he felt it needed.

It was the first time in a long time that Andie had felt comfortable, wholly comfortable, with her life. Everyone she cared about was asleep in the same room, everyone was safe and happy – at least for now. She tried to capture the feeling, remember what moments like this felt like, because she couldn't shake the feeling there was something big on the horizon, big and bad.

In other words, her normal life.

**xxx**

After a farewell breakfast with Cassidy the next morning, Dean, Sam and Andie waved her goodbye and then set on the walk back to the motel. Dean was jiggling JD in his arms, and the baby was making a contented little gurgling noise.

"Do you think he's having fun?" Andie looked sideways at him. "Do you think he's judging me? Do you think he's mad?"

"I think he's fine," Dean said in an even tone. "And you should stop worrying."

"Easy for you to say; you didn't let him get kidnapped." Andie grumbled.

"Alright, I realize it just happened, but you need to start letting that go," Sam told her, giving her shoulder a gentle nudge with his own. "You killed a whole bunch of demons and saved your son. I'd say that's a pretty good day out."

"Yeah, true." Andie conceded. "But it wasn't just me, hell Cass-times-two were both useful."

"How did Cas – our Cas – look to you?" Dean asked. "Last time we saw him was also the last time we saw Adam..." He trailed off, looking down at JD as his son started to suck on his thumb.

"He looked... like Cas." Andie said unhelpfully. "Sorry, I was more worried about JD than Adam... who I'm still yet to lay eyes on, by the way."

"He kinda looks like Dad." Sam said.

"Yeah; I've never met him, either." Andie reminded him.

"Oh, right." Sam said with a half-smile. "I forget how little you know sometimes."

"Insulting." Andie shoved him, making him stumble out onto the road. He just laughed and fell back into step with her.

"_Beware! Beware_!"

"What the hell-er-roony is going on?" Dean muttered as he looked up ahead to the local park where a group of people in too many clothes were gathered around the pond.

"Hippie invasion?" Andie quipped. "Have I mentioned I'm not keen on hippies?"

"Really?" Sam narrowed his eyes at her. "I always thought of you as total hippie-_chique_."

"Ok, it's things like _that_," She pointed at him. "That make it so easy for people to believe you're a homo."

"Beware Hecate!" The apparent leader of the group of people was standing on a footstool with a megaphone, shouting to the muttering crowd, pumping his fists in the air to an invisible swan song. "She is the destroyer and the day of reckoning is coming!"

"Oh, great." Andie let out a slow breath. "Crazy hippies."

"Hecate?" Dean repeated. "Why does that sound familiar?"

Andie frowned; she didn't recall the name from anywhere. "Dunno."

"Should we ask?" Sam nodded up towards the crowd.

"Ask the crazy hippies about the trash their preaching?" Andie gave him a weird look. "Try again, Sam."

"Hecate...Hec.._ate_..." Dean kept mumbling to himself as the group arrived back at their hotel room. "I swear, I've seen it somewhere..." He stopped dead in his tracks as he crossed the threshold of the front door, causing Andie to crash right into him, and Sam into her.

"Why the hold up?" Andie complained.

"Take this." Dean pushed JD into Andie's arms and rushed to his duffel bag.

JD whined a little at being shifted; but settled after a moment. "Dean, what-"

"Ssh!" Dean held up his hand to her as he pulled John Winchester's journal from his bag. "Here, I read it here, I know I did."

"Hecate... you think it's a demon?"

"No, I _know_ it's a demon." Dean flipped to a page towards the start of the book, titled HECATE in bold, blank ink. "And if she's anything like what Dad wrote about her; we're gonna have a problem. A big one."

"Wait, wasn't Hecate in _King Lear_ or something?" Andie asked.

"_Macbeth_." Sam corrected her, getting set in front of his laptop. "That's fiction, but based on Greek myth."

"Aw, man," Dean whined, tossing his father's journal back on top of his duffle bag. "Goddess of magic and witchcraft, are you kidding me? Are you _kidding_ me?"

Andie frowned pitifully at him, but it turned into a smile. "Poor you. Witches are your hippies..."

"I'll start looking online," Sam offered. "But it seems like Hecate's almost like a pop culture demon..." He scanned the results of his _Google_ search. "I'm finding fan websites... blogs... even bands named after her..."

"So, we need to narrow the field," Andie said, rocking JD in her arms. "I'll call Van; she's good with mythology."

"Yeah, I'll call Bobby, too." Dean said, snatching his phone out of his jeans and wandering into the kitchen.

"Van?" Sam repeated to Andie. "Sure that's a good idea?" He gave her a wobbly smile.

"Why? Because she used you like the manwhore you are and never called?" Andie gave him a wry grin. "You'll live."

Sam gestured to JD. "Should you be saying manwhore in front of him?"

"He's two weeks old," Andie put on a syrupy sweet baby-voice. "And it doesn't matter what I sa-ayyy... It's the tone I use," She grinned, cocking one eyebrow at Sam as JD gurgled happily. "See? He thinks I'm hilarious." She shifted JD into one arm and took her cell phone from her back pocket, scrolling through her phone book all the way down to V, hitting _CALL_, she held it between her ear and shoulder. Annoyingly, the call went straight to Van's voicemail.

"_Hey, you've reached Van. I'm busy; leave me your name and I'll call you back."_

"Van, hey, it's Andie... ah... I had the baby, and we have a demon named Hecate to look out for so... call me when you can."

**xxx**


	41. Tip Of My Tongue

_AN - sorry for the delay! The muse went totally AWOL for a bit; but we're back in action now :) With Van, the creation of my friend, Selah25 :)_

**Chapter 41: **

_Tip of My Tongue_

Van smoothed out the tie-dyed dress that hugged her toned figure; wondering if it was even worth it. She'd never been the type for dresses; not even casual ones like the one she wore now, but after a passing comment by one of her students about how she would kill for Van's legs, and the arrival of a cute guest professor at the college where she was part-timing; Van had given in and bought this purple and blue peasant dress from a boutique by the school.

It wasn't exactly a dress for a special occasion; nor was today a mark of such an event, but she was seeing Andie today; and she would give her a clear opinion.

The rumble of a truck alerted Van that her friend had arrived early that afternoon, and she was at the door with a grin as she watched Andie fumble with a stroller. Andie as a mother... she knew she had to see it to believe it... but even seeing it didn't seem to be real. Van couldn't see the baby from where she was standing, the sun made her squint her eyes as Andie arrived at her doorstep.

"So what's the verdict?" Van said with a smirk as Andie paused on her porch. "He cute or ugly?"

Andie smirked back "Get ready to eat your words because he's adorable." Andie said, proudly pushing the pram through Van's front door.

Van looked from the pram –it was quite cute... the pram; the baby Van couldn't say; because there wasn't one there. "Ah, Morgan? Where is he?"

Andie looked down at the empty stroller, suddenly realizing she hadn't actually removed JD from the car. "Bugger." She cursed, leaving the pushchair with Van and hurrying back to the car, rationalizing that he'd been asleep; so she'd accidentally left him in the car. "Don't tell your father." She whispered to JD as she picked him up. "Mummy didn't forget you; you were just being such a good boy that I... I forgot you... bugger." She said again, locking the car.

"Great parenting, Andie, really." Van said sardonically, leaning against her doorframe. Her smirk turned into a grin when she laid eyes on the baby. "Oh, he is adorable." She held out her hands. "Gimme."

JD was used to being shifted around in his sleep; he didn't even open his eyes when he settled in Van's arms. "Can we transfer this inside?" Andie prodded the stroller into Van's legs to get her moving. "By the way; that dress hurts like a hangover."

_I'm taking it back_, Van resolved immediately as she let Andie in. "I'm so glad you're here." She grumbled sarcastically.

"Like I said; demon issues." Andie shut the door behind her and set the stroller by the door, taking off her baby satchel and setting it in the chair. "Hecate; what can you tell me?"

Van was more interested in JD, looking at him like she'd never seen a baby before. "He looks like you and Dean... this is so weird... am I holding him right?"

Andie made a face at her. "How should I know? If he starts crying; something's wrong. That's the philosophy we're running with." She settled back into the couch. "Hecate. Spill."

Van sat cross-legged on her couch and cradled JD in the crook of her elbow. "Well, first of all you're pronouncing it wrong. The 'H' is silent."

"Ec-ah-tay?" Andie guessed, to which Van nodded. "Big-ass bitch demon?" She assumed.

"More like bitch-Goddess." Van confirmed. "Triple Goddess, actually. Maiden, Mother and Crone; mind, body and spirit; and birth, life and death," She shrugged. "Whatever you want to call her, she's one bad mother – literally."

"What does she want? Why would she be here?"

"Most likely she was conjured," Van said, pinching her bottom lip between her teeth in thought. "Hecate is a representational psyche goddess, the dark part of your mind that you suppress."

"So people embrace the darkness, and she, what, hears it?"

"Yes and no." Van frowned. "Mostly no – all no, really. She's a well known demon to a lot of feminists; all about women's lib, strength in yourself, blah, blah, blah." She rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, _women_," Despite giving off a somewhat feminist vibe to most people, Andie hated the whole women's lib crowd with their bra-burnings and protests – spend more time doing something! "We can work, we can vote, what else do these bitches want?"

"Inspirational words for your son to hear." Van quipped.

Andie huffed. "So you're telling me she was summoned."

Van nodded. "Definitely. And your hubby ain't gonna like who did it."

Andie huffed loudly again. "Witches." She whined, fidgeting in annoyance. "That would make sense; there were a bunch of weird hippie people shouting her name."

"Thing is; there's plenty of lore that paints Hecate as a being of good, a protector," JD started to whinge in Van's arms, so she patted his back gently to try and soothe him. "So whoever is summoning her might think they're actually doing a good thing." JD's tiny mouth suddenly burst open with a shrill wail; it gave Van such a shock she thought she may have hurt him. "What the heck is wrong with this kid?"

"Nothing; he just doesn't like you," Andie said with a smirk as she took her son from Van. He didn't stop crying; but he quieted down a little. "I hope he doesn't have nightmares, he's too young to have them, right?"

Van shrugged. "Why are you asking me?"

"Sorry, I forget what a socially clueless person you can be."

"Don't open that door, Morgan," Van teased her. "Does the name Vivian Knight ring a bell?" She knew it would; it was the name of a girl the pair of them had rescued from a demonic cult about five years ago. Apart from asking Vivian if she had a tattoo on her ass indicative of members of the cult, Andie proceeded to announce in a crowded supermarket that it was cool if Vivian had genital warts that were rampant in that particular sect but she should really get them treated. And that wasn't Andie being funny; that was Andie being Andie. She had no filter; whatever came to her mind she said it; no matter who was around, nuns and children alike. Socially Clueless, thy name is Andie Morgan.

A smile spread across Andie's face. "Oh yeh, _Herpes_." She nodded. "She was fun." JD squirmed in Andie's arms and made a humming noise. "I don't know what that means, Bug," She told him.

"Still with the Bug?"

Andie shrugged. "He still looks like one."

Van frowned, but nodded. "When are the guys getting here?"

"Tomorrow." Andie said, setting JD in her lep in the crook of her crossed legs, he nestled there like. "And I'd really like to have a plan to get this hella-bitch for when they do."

"So Sam's coming?"

Andie gave her an odd look. "Yes. Sam is coming. They're the Wonder Twins, you don't get one without the other." She didn't mention that the reason they weren't with her now was that they were on the tail of another Horseman, specifically Death, and Dean was adamant that JD be as far away as possible.

"Ok..." Van was at her desk a moment later, in her element of researching, thumbing through novels in various states of decay. "Hecate is mentioned everywhere, like I said, sometimes good, sometimes bad. With the whole apocalypse thing weighing over us, I'm gonna figure it's bad."

"Yeah, ok, do you have food?"

* * *

Andie woke up with a start; not uncommon, but it took her a second to remember she was on Van's couch. "Lord..." She yawned, stretching out her legs as she swung them onto the floor. "Good sleep..." She felt a strange tug in her stomach when she saw the clock, it digital and the numbers were spinning, like a sped-up odometer. "Van?" She ventured as she stood up. "Your clock's broken..." She shuffled over to JD's stroller, and felt another tug at her stomach when she saw it was empty. "Oh... no." The last time this happened he'd been kidnapped by a demon clan. "JD!" Andie spun around and began to tear through the house. "Van? JD!" _How do I tell Dean I lost him _again_..._ "JD! Now would be a great time to start talking!"

A sudden, shrill cry wailed through Andie's ears.

"JD!"

"Damn, Morgan, would you shut it?"

Her heart hammering in her chest, Andie sat up... again... Van was standing next to the bed in her spare room with JD hanging in her arms, one hand under hit butt and one under his armpits. "Crap." She exhaled and through herself back against the mattress. "Just had a fantastically evil dream..." She saw the clock on her nightstand, relieved that the numbers weren't spinning.

"Well; your timing's perfect; I think he's hungry, and I am _not _equipped for that..." She set JD down on the bed. "I've got three things on the stove."

"You're cooking?" Andie scrunched up her nose as she pulled JD into her lap. "Food?"

"Nope."

Andie nursed JD – she was getting pretty good at it – replied to Dean's numerous texts asking if they were okay, and then carried her son in one arm as she made her way into the kitchen. The smell was overwhelming; so much so that Andie gagged. And after years of demon guts and even just a few weeks of diaper duty; she knew bad smells. "What the Mother-of-God is that?"

"Well, I woke up with JD, so I thought I'll be a cool friend and let you sleep, and wouldn't you know it; I'm searching my bookshelves with your little guy in my hands, and I find the book I've been searching for."

"_Smells To Make The Whole World Gag_?"

"No, it's a potion... or poison... _poition?_... for Hecate." Van said proudly. "We get her to ingest it and she'll rot from the inside out."

"We don't even know where she is," Andie reminded her, waving at the air in front of JD's nose so he didn't breathe in the stink. "And even if we did, Dean would kill me if I brought JD on a demon hunt."

"Since when do you care what Dean thinks?"

"Since the last time he left me alone with the kid he was baby-napped by a bunch of demon psychos."

Van eyeballed her. "That's not good."

"I know, right?" Andie agreed, crossing her legs and sitting at the kitchen table with JD in her lap. "What am I gonna do, strap him to my back while I chuck poison at a demon? Surely that's a bad idea..."

"You're telekinetic, you can just," Van flicked her hands out in front of her. "Toss it at Hecate. I bet he sleeps through the whole thing." She stirred at a foul looking maroon liquid on the stove.

"Can you really not smell that?"

"Sadly, I've smelled worse. Remember that shape shifter that exploded in that rental car of ours? That was so gross."

"Ugh; yeh..." Andie hadn't been able to get the demon gut smell from her hair, so she'd chopped most of it off with a rusted pair of scissors. It gave her a crack-addict haircut for awhile, but she hadn't all together hated it at the time.

"Alright, this has to simmer for like two hours."

"Hell no, I'm not sitting here having him smell poison for that long! He has tiny baby lungs."

"Calm down, Norma Rae, I was going to suggest we go out to eat."

"Oh, good." Andie brightened immediately, no one she hung around with was a good cook; so the prospect of diner quality pancakes and lukewarm tea was more enticing to her than anything that could be whipped up in a kitchen. She got to her feet and followed Van into the hall. "Hey, who the hell is Norma Rae?"

Van looked back at her. "Sally Field?"

"Well, is she Sally Field or is she Norma Rae? Pick one."

"You're an idiot."

"You're a smartass."

"And yet you're the one with the baby," Van gave her a smug look. "Poetic justice?"

"Y'know 'superior' doesn't really go with what you're wearing." Andie smirked. "But then again; not much does..."

Van eyed her as she walked ahead. "You're wearing sweats!"

**

* * *

**

A short walk down the street was a diner offering just what Andie was craving; waffles smothered in butter. Van ordered the short stack and made quick work of the kid's maze on the back of the menu. "Am I genius or are kids just really stupid now?" She wondered out loud as pulled at JD's toes, he was in his stroller pulled right up beside Andie. "Are you stupid?" She asked the baby with a silly grin. "I've met your mother and your father... so... hm... well, wait, no you're great-grams is pretty awesome, maybe you'll take after her..."

"You do know you're nothing but a big blob of colours and shapes to him right now, don't you?"

"At least he's not screaming," Van said, jiggling a toy teddy bear dressed as a policeman in front of his eyes. "How old is he now? Two, three years?"

"Hilarious." Andie deadpanned, stifling a yawn and quickly stopping herself before she added sugar to her orange juice mistaking it for coffee; she was off caffeine while she breast-feeding, another fantastic bonus of motherhood. "Um..." She quickly did the math in her head. "A month... just over... a month..."

A sudden jolt ran through Andie's body, a memory flashed before her eyes... Dean, four years in the future, screaming at her...

_"You're dead! You died in my arms... a month after our daughter was born..."_

A month. That was now. And sure, she'd had a son and not a daughter like the Croatoan infested apocalyptic world of the future claimed, but that didn't change the fact that she might not be all-powerful anymore... that was the point... the powers were passed on through birth... from mother to child... JD would be safe, but Andie...

"Oi, what's wrong," Van prodded her palm with a fork. "You're face is all scrunchy."

On a whim, Andie narrowed her eyes at the fork, used her mind and sent it flying to the floor. "Oh, thank God..." She mumbled.

"What is going on?" Van grumbled, signalling to the waitress for a new fork. "You're using angel powers in public now?"

"At least I have them..." Andie muttered, suddenly very aware of how much danger was around. Knives... hot food and drinks... strangers who may or may not be armed... someone could drive a car through window... what if JD was allergic to nuts or something and accidentally ingested them... "Oh, God,"

"Andie, you look freaked, what's happened?"

"I have to go, he has to get out of here," Andie got to her feet and kicked out the stopper that held the stroller wheels in place so it wouldn't roll away. "I'll see you back at your place."

"Wait, what about breakfast?" Van called after her as she bustled quickly out of the diner.

The walk back to Van's drove Andie nuts. Cars drove by... people walked past, eyeing her baby... demons? Could she tell? What if there was one waiting at Van's? The ground was pebbled... too shaky? What if JD bounced out of the stroller? What if a rock flew into his head? Why did she agree to be alone with him? She couldn't take care of him! Too much could go wrong; and he was an angel-baby; even more stuff could go wrong.

Too paranoid to drag the stroller up Van's porch steps, Andie just picked up her son and hurried through Van's front door, having to use her power to undo the lock (thank the Lord she still had _that_), her heart didn't stop racing until she was sitting on the floor, dead centre of Van's living room, with JD in her arms.

"Hey!" Ten minutes later, Van was pushing through her already unlocked front door, wide-eyed, confused and arms full of take-away bags. "What the hell? You ditched me! And we didn't even get to play our game."

Andie exhaled slowly, she was trying to calm herself down by breathing. It wasn't exactly working. "Yeah, I know," She did enjoy their game; convincing the staff of whatever diner they ate that someone had died on the premises and their ghost was haunting the building; it usually ended with the pair exiting the establishment and Andie knocking something over with her power to really freak them out. Cruel; maybe. But also very fun. Andie had actually been looking forward to it as she'd travelled to Van's, but now... what if the staff found out it was a gag? They have majorly sharp knives in kitchens... what if they chucked one and it hit JD? The thought alone made Andie sick. "I freaked out."

"I got that," Van tossed the paper bags up on her table and shrugged off her coat. "What about?"

She bit her lip. "I'm going to die."

"Oh, for God's sake," Van huffed. "We don't do touchy-feely, Morgan! I'm not good to open up to; and you are definitely not someone I'd open up with."

"Van!" Andie snapped firmly. "I'm serious." She explained as quickly as she could about her 'trip to the future', her daughter, the fact she was dead... it had been Andie's nightmare all through her pregnancy; and now that JD was here; she was so focused on keeping him alive she hadn't thought about herself. When she was done, Van didn't seem as worried as Andie had expected.

"Ok... so... you're still here, Morgan," She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And JD isn't a girl named Annie... and Sam isn't the Devil... and the Croatoan virus is not taking over the world."

"Yeah, but... what if I'm not protected anymore?" Andie revealed. "What if I can die now? And I can't test it; I mean if I shoot myself to see if I die... and then I die... how is that a win? And if I _do_ still have my power; does that mean JD didn't get it for some reason? So he's even more vulnerable?" The breathing exercise was definitely not working; now she was hyperventilating. "What if I die? Dean's not here... what if _you_ die fighting Hecate? What if we're both dead and JD's left here alone? How will Dean find him? What if Dean dies on the hunt he's on right now?"

JD screamed.

"Ok, Andie?" Van crouched to the floor and set her hands on her friend's shaking knees. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down?" Andie pushed JD into Van's arms and sprang to her feet. "I can't calm down! This isn't like anything else I've ever done! I have no idea what I'm doing with him; the only thing I can think to do is keep him alive! And now I can't even do that!"

"He _is_ alive, he's fine," Van said, amused that she was able to calm down JD so quickly... granted she wasn't screeching like his mother. "Since when are you scared of anything?"

"Because...!"

"Because what?"

"Because I don't want to be her!"

Van's puzzled expression froze. "Who?"

"Nothing..." Andie, finally calming, rubbed at the tight knot in the back of her neck.

JD gurgled and inadvertently helped Van out. "Wait... you're mother?" She almost laughed, but wanted to avoid another verbal assault. "Andie... you are not your mother."

"I know that." Andie said through gritted teeth. "I do. That's not... I'm not afraid of _that_," She gestured. "I'm afraid..." Crap... she was afraid... Andie Morgan wasn't afraid of anything. "My life sucked." She spat to her feet. "I was alone. For years. Years. I lived on the street – for years! Years! The only thing I had was demon hunting. I was a fantastic hunter. That's it; that's all I had!"

"You still have that."

"No, no, I don't just have that." She laughed humourlessly, slapping her hands to her hips. "I have a son, and a husband, _and_ a brother-in-law, _and _a grandmother angel, _and_ a socially inept angel, _and_ an electrified-best friend who I brought back from the dead... the dead, Van!" She could not believe this was her life. It sounded normal – aside from the angels and resurrection – a wife and mother... normal. Andie Morgan wasn't afraid of anything; and she was most definitely not normal. That rocked "I have... people." She shrugged. "I have more _people_, it's not just me." She nodded down at JD. "And he... he needs me. He needs me to stay here, _alive_."

"You care about more people..." Van surmised. "You have more to lose now."

"It sucks."

"It's _life_." Van said before she even finished speaking. "It's your life. This?" She got to her feet and handed JD back over. "Is your son. And he's fine. And you are fine. And Dean and Sam are fine. Everyone is fine."

"Yeah, fine, _now_."

"Why can't you ever just be positive?" She rolled her eyes. "Look who I'm talking to," She mumbled to herself. "You are not gonna die. Yeah; ok, you have more people to lose now... but you also have more people who have your back. Even if you did die, you think you'd stay that way? You brought Cass back from the dead; you really think she, and Dean, and hell, even me, wouldn't let that happen? We have your back, Andie. Like it or not... you're part of a team..." She nodded at JD, now content. "Now more than ever."


	42. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

_AN - Van, the wonderful creation of my friend, Selah25 :)_

**Chapter 42: **

_Happiness Is A Warm Gun_

The very thought of either a) leaving JD alone, or b) taking him on a demon hunt nearly sent Andie into panic mode, so Van took her stinking _poition_ and headed after Hecate.

Andie felt like her insides were tying in knots... she was anxious. She had to get out there and fight that demon - help Van - that was her purpose. But now she had JD... and JD needed her alive; so that meant no demon hunting. At least until she was sure she could or could not die...

Trying to keep herself busy after she put her baby down for a nap, Andie attempted organizing Van's shelf, got bored, and gave up. Same result with cleaning the kitchen, however she did manage to put on a load of laundry that had been sitting in her bag for a week.

So when all of a sudden, she burst into tears, she had no idea what was happening to her. Was she so bored that even crying was a better alternative than avoiding a demon hunt? It wasn't even sobbing; it was just running tears and sniffling... all this wetness coming from her eyes and nose without her control. It was like a cold without the heavy headache to go with it.

"Oh... _God_..." She groaned loudly to the ceiling.

"Love to hear you scream that when you're alone..." Dean remarked as he let himself through Van's front door. "Do you always cry when you're alone? It's so _One Tree Hill_."

"You would know." She sniffled loudly and leant back against the side of her bed. "I'm bored."

"Yeah, Van called Sam; he's meeting her to take on Hecate..."

Andie's palms itched; she wanted to be out there hunting. "I can't do this." She said vaguely, her eyes falling on JD's napping little frame. "I can't do this..."

Dean exhaled loudly as he flopped to the floor beside her, leaning his head back on the mattress. "If anybody can do it, it's you." He said, almost like an afterthought.

Andie let her head loll to the side so she was leaning against his shoulder. "I'm scared he's gonna die." She admitted. "Or that I'm gonna die... or you... all of us."

"None of us are going to die," Dean said firmly – a swift change in attitude than he had been months before. "We're gonna win this thing, we're gonna have a life..."

He trailed off, Andie assumed because he was thinking what she was thinking. A life without demons? What could that be like? "I wish..." She muttered under her breath.

"Yeah," He kissed the side of her head and leant against her as she did him. "Me too."

Andie slipped her arm through his and hugged his forearm to her chest, closing her eyes briefly, and from the slowing down of Dean's breath, she could tell he was resting as well.

JD stirred, and then woke up with a quiet, fussing, grumpy little cry. Andie moved but Dean got up first so she stayed put.

"Hey, buddy," He said, scooping his son up and resting him over his shoulder. "What are you crying about, hm?" He gently patted the baby on the back. "Man, he's drooling on me."

"Get used to it." Andie mumbled with her eyes closed, she'd had to clean baby puke from her clothes and a blanket earlier. Slowly drifting off into a half-sleep, Andie growled irritably when her cell phones ring woke her up. Dean wasn't in front of her anymore, and she noticed the sun was setting. Apparently she had slept, although she felt like she'd closed her eyes and blinked. "Yeah?" She answered her cell without checking the caller ID.

"Andie?" It was Van, panicked Van - rare and to be feared. "Help." A loud gunshot rang out and Van cursed loudly and then bellowed Sam's name. "Hecate has demon back up; we can't get through."

"But JD-"

"Hurry!"

The line went dead.

"Crap... Dean?" Andie sprang to her feet. "Dean?" He wasn't in the kitchen or the bathroom. Through the window above the sink she saw him in the front seat of the Impala holding JD standing up on his knees, putting his tiny hands on the steering wheel. Grabbing her coat and bag, she dashed out the front door. "We have to go," She said, tossing her stuff into her rental car, it still had the baby seat secured in the back. "Now."

"Go?" Dean tucked JD under one arm and locked up the Impala. "Sam?"

"And Van..." She chewed on her lip and looked at JD, cutely sucking his whole fist while keeping his huge, round eyes on Dean. "What are we gonna do with him?"

"Castiel?" Andie suggested. "He could watch him?"

"Cas ain't no baby-sitter." Dean said as he retrieved some weapons from the trunk of the Impala and transferred them into Andie's rental.

"No, I mean physically just _watch_ him." Andie said. "Just stand there and watch him."

"What if he cries and he brings him right back to us in the middle of a fight?"

"He's not that stupid..." Andie said, although it wasn't Castiel's stupidity but more his lack of awareness that caused them the most frustration, and popping up with a crying infant while Andie and Dean were in the midst of saving Sam and Van wasn't completely unbelievable.

"We gotta take him with us." Dean said.

"No, no," Andie pulled him back by his arm. "Take him to a demon fight? Are you crazy?"

Dean strapped his son into his car seat and turned to her. "Andie; look at you. Look at what you're doing." He held her by her shoulders. "You're already protecting him. He's gonna be fine. You can do this, remember?" He pushed her towards the passenger's side door. "I'll drive."

"It's my rental." Andie complained.

"See, your head's already in the game," Dean said, holding his hand out for the keys.

Andie squared her jaw. She was taking her kid exactly where she didn't want to take him, she would be getting at least something she wanted. "Move." She ordered him, too tense to enjoy the hangdog expression he wore as he slid over. She started the engine and they headed off; Andie almost immediately regretting insisting on driving; every time she looked in the rear-view mirror she saw her baby.

* * *

Another of Andie's angel powers was still intact – her mental locator. She could see Van in her mind, Sam, too, her mental road map as clear as ever as she took a left off the main road. She tried to take it as a good sign, but it just made her feel more uneasy. If she still had her angel powers, JD might not be protected at all. But he had to be, he'd healed her when she was poisoned by the Qeres. Half of her didn't want an answer, didn't want a confirmation that her powers were gone or had bypassed her child, thus leaving him completely vulnerable in her more than dangerous world, or her powers were undamaged and JD was more powerful that she could imagine; making him a beacon for every evil thing that lived in her more than dangerous world. Ignorance was bliss; and agony.

* * *

Dean saw the battle before he heard it; there was a fire – a huge one – burning up ahead, a plume of dark, thick smoke choking the sky just up ahead. Andie steered them onto a freshly made set of wheel tracks cutting through a wild paddock. It was bumpy; the rental car's suspension went nuts as they mowed through the grass, it seemed as shaky as his nerves. He didn't know what to be more concerned about – Sam, JD, Andie, Van... all of them... he kept thinking of his father. John had hunted demons when Sam was an infant and Dean was young, without their mother. They were in a better situation than John had been. They had angels, they had friends, they had skills... this was doable.

His main concern, however, was that Andie might snap and run off, or perhaps speed off with JD. He wasn't sure if it was paranoia or a severe case of mama-bear vibes, but she was unstable. He had to be the rock.

"Van's car..." Andie mumbled, pulling her rental to a stop behind Van's emerald green camaro. It was still in one piece, she hoped her friend was the same.

"Ok," Dean's hands groped for his sawn-off that he'd sat at his feet and he pulled it into his lap. "You gotta take JD, I can't shoot this with him he'll go deaf." He glanced sideways at her, wondering if he was going to have to talk her into this again, even though they had no time for chatting. "Andie; can you do that?"

"I can." She said efficiently, unhooking her seatbelt and climbing out of the car. "Cassidy's good for one thing..."

Dean didn't want to say anything that made her stop, so he just watched as Andie pulled a navy blue satchel from the back seat, still in its plastic wrapping – one of Cassidy's numerous and never-ending presents – it was a baby sling. While she unwrapped it, Dean left his shotgun on the dashboard and reached into the back, undoing JD's straps and lifting him out of his chair. He still couldn't believe how light the baby was; so small and fragile...

Andie was at Dean's side, steel-faced and biting down hard on her lip. She wore the navy sling, holding open the pocket with tense but steady hands. Dean laid his son inside; he folded almost instantly against his mother's body, nestled gently against her. "We got this." He said, sounding a hell of a lot more sure than he felt. Snatching his shotgun off the dash, Dean took the lead and the new family headed for the fire up ahead.

* * *

Van fell heavily to her butt as Sam pulled her behind the turned over dining table. They'd been ambushed by a bunch of demon-blood fuelled witches, the very same coven who had summoned Hecate were now her willing army.

"Why won't they die?" Van snapped exasperatedly as she tried to catch her breath.

"Demon blood makes them stronger." Sam said, arming his pistol with another row of bullets.

Suppressing the urge to say "_you would know_", Van instead took the pistol as he offered it to her. It was warm; freshly fired. She loved that smell.

"We turn out on three, okay?" Sam said, arming his shotgun.

Van nodded. The exhilaration of the hunt kept her head straight, she felt strong, poised, and even the presence of Sam, whom she'd spent a night with at their last meeting, couldn't dampen her confidence. She'd deal with that later, if she had to, right now she just had to survive the next few minutes.

"Three!" Sam hollered and the two of them sprang out from behind the table, aiming and firing, taking down two snarling witches before he'd even taken a step.

Van tried not to grin as she took down a screeching blonde banshee of a witch who ran at her like a zombie in a craze. In all her years of hunting, she'd never had a catch phrase, something cool to say when she killed something... "clean up aisle five", "suck on that, bitch", "eat lead... or iron... or rock salt (depending on the bullet)"... but she couldn't have cared less. The satisfaction she felt as she took down another demonic witch was enough to keep her going, to persevere.

* * *

Andie could feel JD wriggling against her as she and Dean approached the barn. The house was where the fire was coming from, the barn further down the field was where all the screeching (aka. action) was happening. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, half the nerves in her brain willed her to soldier on, this was her life, her work, she could do this in her sleep. But these new nerves were making themselves known... _run_, run back to the car and drive JD as far away from this place as possible, but she couldn't. Van and Sam needed her help. Damn Van for being right all the time. She did have people now, people she cared about, people she wanted to keep alive for much, much longer than just past the upcoming apocalypse.

There were two sentries posted out the front of the house, standing statue-still on the porch and staring into the distance. Andie spotted them first, and for the first time she could recall, she hesitated, keeping her fists clenched at her sides. JD made a noise, just a brief contented sigh, but it was enough. The sentries sprang into action. One barrelled towards Dean, and a lithe blonde took a run at Andie. She looked human, but was clearly possessed. Her mouth was agape, letting out a high pitched squeal that made JD start crying. The sentry paused, just for a moment, hearing the cry, and changing her intended target, making a beeline for Andie's baby.

That was the surge Andie needed, the switch clicked back into action. One hand wrapped around JD, pulling him closer to her, and she pushed her right hand forwards, wishing nothing but agony and pain for the blonde in front of her.

Having kept her power under wraps for the past month, and with her emotions still travelling the postpartum rollercoaster, she couldn't anticipate what was going to happen. So when the blonde was in front of her one second, and crashing through the porch steps the next, it took her a moment to react. JD calmed, and Andie smiled. It was back, the rush. She could do this. She could fight and protect her son.

"Andie!" Dean called, knocking out the sentry who attacked him with the butt of his shotgun. "Come on!"

Feeling much more secure, Andie headed around the left side of the house – the blonde had destroyed what there was of the staircase – and Dean went to the right, she could hear gunshots inside the house, Van screaming directions, Sam grunting in agony, and demonic screeches.

Before she even got to the back door, something on her right caught her eye. Something bright, shining, like the sun but on a much smaller scale. Turning, Andie was almost nose to nose with one of the most beautiful, ethereal beings she had ever seen. Hecate.

"Your child..." She purred, smiling. "I could live a thousand lives and not create a child as him..."

Andie was frozen, not from fear but from cold, Hecate was emitting a freezing glow that made Andie shiver, her arms stuck holding JD to her chest. "Ba-ack off." She stammered.

"Give him to me."

"Go to Hell."

"I intend to."

"Hey, bitch! Thirsty?" Van was right behind Hecate, hooked her elbow around her neck and pulled her down, forcing her poisonous concoction down her throat. "Tip your waitress." She snarled as Hecate fell to her knees, gagging and clutching at her throat.

"Van?" Sam called, jumping off the back porch as he sped from the house. "Andie..." He stopped short when he saw them backing away from the smoking wreck of what had been Hecate.

"Jeez," Dean exhaled loudly as he followed Sam. "Three of those witch-bitches just exploded into dust for no reason..." His eyes fell on Hecate's remains. "Oh... hello reason."

"Are you okay?" Van asked Andie, eying the wriggling bundle in the sling across her arm.

Andie grinned. "I'm good." She said firmly. "Hell, I'm better than good. I can fight a demon and carry a baby..."

"Yes, you are woman, we hear you roar." Van muttered, tentatively prodding a cut on her forehead. "Can we get out of here now? Preferably before the fire engines arrive..."


	43. Don't Let Me Down

_AN - Van, the wonderful creation of my friend, Selah25 :)_

**Chapter 43: **

_Don't Let Me Down_

Van stepped out of the still steaming shower and wrapped a fluffy towel around her body. A benefit of this cheap motel room was that the washing machine and dryer were in the bathroom with her, so her clothes that had been washing to clean off what remained of the witch showdown were ready to be worn. It was late, or very early, Van didn't know and she'd left her phone on the nightstand with Sam's.

It hadn't been intentional, sleeping together again, but it hadn't been the first time, either. It just... happened. Sam had an injury to his bicep and another just above his rib; he needed his shirt off for Van to patch him up. And the boy was _fine_, a perfectly sculpted man in every way. Having delved into the waters of Sam Winchester once before in her life, Van used the surge of adrenaline from the winning demon attack mixed with her buzzing hormones over a sexy, shirtless man and went for it. For Sam, to be specific. He'd reacted to her immediately, almost forgetting his injuries and pulling her into his body whilst reaching at the buttons on her jeans. They didn't need the bed the first time, Sam pinned Van against the wall, but they retreated to the mattress for the second.

Sam seemed to have something on his mind; Van had caught his gaze when he thought she wasn't looking. There was something behind his eyes, a cloud of confusion or fear; she didn't know what. She left him to doze while she showered, but he was sitting up when she came back out, blanket lazily draped across his middle, his bronzed and bare chest exposed. And those eyes were still clouded.

"What?" Van pulled her wet hair into a mess of a ponytail and hung back tentatively at the door. "What's wrong?"

Sam exhaled deeply before he answered. "Nothing."

"Sam." She said curtly, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "Come on."

"It would only make you mad. You'd go running to Andie, she'd tell Dean..." He sank down under the blankets and stared at the ceiling.

Sighing, Van approached the bed and perched herself on the end of the cheap, flowery bedspread. "You think I'm _that_ much of a snitch?"

"No I just think this is too big to put on your shoulders," Sam chewed at his bottom lip. "It wouldn't be fair."

Now Van was too curious, and slightly worried. "Bring me in the loop on something." She said with a half-smile. "I miss everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I missed Morgan's stupid wedding, her big "I'm an angel" reveal, her grandmother popping back, her unfairly pretty baby being born..." She pouted. "I know I'm not _Cassidy_ or whatever..." she said with an eye-roll. "But... it would be nice to be 'in' on something." She fiddled with the ring on her right middle finger.

"I'm going to say yes." Sam muttered quietly, so quietly Van thought he was muttering as he fell to sleep.

"Yes? To what... to who?"

"Lucifer. I'm going to say yes to being his vessel."

Van's eyes widened so fast she twinged a muscle in her temple. A shaky smile crept onto her lips. "You're kidding... you are," She didn't take his eyes off him; waiting for him to laugh it off and admit to a bad joke; but he didn't. He just kept staring at her. "You're not... kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"Well, then..." Van sprung to her feet. "Then you're _CRAZY_! _Crazy_! I mean, you get that right? You see how unbelievably insane you are? You can't say yes, Sam, you just can't!

"I have to." He leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his knees, his heavy head in his palms. "Look; I have a plan here. Let him in, and then jump back in the pit."

Van pulled the other temple muscle widening her eyes again. "You're willingly going to kill yourself? Willingly? _Willingly_?"

"I have to!" he yelled again.

Van angrily smacked her hands at her sides. "Why?"

"Because if I don't do something; Dean is gonna do something; get himself killed." Sam divulged. "And he has a kid now; he has a _life_. A life he deserves. He died for me once; I won't let him do it again."

Van scoffed. "You do realize if you do this he _will_ die. And then Andie will die; and then the kid'll be an orphan. All because _you_ made the stupidest decision-"

"He won't leave JD." Sam said firmly. "I know him. He wouldn't give his son the life we had."

"But he'll let you jump into Hell?"

"He won't have a choice." Sam sank back in his pillows. "I shouldn't have told you."

"No, no it's good that you did." Van clapped her hands together earnestly. "Because now I can fix it."

"No, no!" Sam jumped up out of the bed in just his gray pyjama pants. "No; you can't do anything; you can't tell anyone!"

Van looked at him like he'd sprung a new head. "Well, what do you expect me to do with this information, huh? Be glad that I'm involved in something and just shut up about it?"

"Van, I've been drinking demon blood!" He tried to quiet his voice by clenching his teeth; but it just made him sound like he was growling. "I've had it in my body since I was JD's age! There is something unnatural about me."

"There's something unnatural about everyone." Van tried to say reasonably.

"I've been slipping up, Van! The blood... it's a drug and I can't... I can't kick it."

"So instead you're OD-ing?"

"In a way; yeah."

"It's a stupid option-"

"It's the _only _option!"

"It's _not_ an option!"

Sam chewed his lip and spun around quickly. "Castiel!"

"Oh no," Van pointed a finger at him. "No; you're not gonna call in an angel to save your ass when I'm not done kicking it!"

"Castiel!"

"Would you hush?" Ellie said, appearing in her unique way, mid-step as though she was speed walking straight from heaven down to earth. "There are a million things – literally a million – that Castiel is busy with."

"Ellie!" Van exclaimed, her eyes widening Andie's grandmother. "Did you hear him?" She thrust an accusing finger at Sam. "Did you hear what-" She didn't get to finished her sentence; Ellie pressed two fingers to her forehead and she collapsed gently on the bed into a deep sleep.

Sam looked nervously from Van to Ellie. "What-?"

"The only reason you'd call Castiel is to wipe her memory of what you just told her; correct?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "So I just did it for you; she'll wake up in the morning forgetting she ever came here with you; so it would be best if you got back to your brother as soon as you can."

"How did you know?"

Ellie looked as though she'd roll her eyes if it weren't childish. "I heard her. I'm nearby."

"Does Andie ask you to watch me?"

"Oh, no," Ellie batted a hand at him. "Andie doesn't know I do this; and don't you go telling her. And I don't watch _you_, Samuel, I watch her friends."

"Why?"

"Because I can count the number of friends she has on one hand." Ellie explained. "Van, Aurora, Zoe and Cassidy... and now Luka, I suppose. She doesn't need to lose anyone else." She sighed. "It's my human side, or so Castiel tells me, I feel guilty that I wasn't there for Andie when her mother died; and now that she and I are back together I'm trying to overcompensate, I suppose."

"So you heard me?"

"Your plan to tackle Michael solo? Yes, I heard." She gave him a cold look.

"What are you gonna tell Andie?"

Ellie's face didn't change. "I won't be telling her."

Sam's eyes rounded. "Why?"

Quickly her look softened. "Because I don't want her to stop you."

Sam almost fell down right next to Van. "You're... agreeing with me?" He couldn't fathom he had someone on his side; he thought everyone would react like Van.

"Of course not." Ellie said quickly. "But faced with the alternative..." She didn't need to finish her sentence. The alternative was Dean saying yes to Michael, leaving Andie without one of her scarce friends and their son without a father. For Ellie; the alternative would keep Andie safe. Well, safer. "So, no, I won't be telling her. And I don't suggest you do, either." Ellie said firmly. "Her focus needs to be her son; not you."

Sam folded his arms across his chest; realizing he was naked from the waist up in front of a grandmother. "I'm not gonna tell her; believe me."

"And we will never speak of it again." Ellie said with fierce finality in her voice. "Now, put her in bed," She nodded to Van. "And get out of here, Sam." She turned on her heel to walk away and disappeared into thin air.

Sam exhaled and ran his hands through his mane of hair. He couldn't decide if having Ellie on his side, in her own strange way, was a good thing or a bad thing. It could very easily be both.

Pulling Van up onto the mattress, Sam tucked a blanket around her sleeping form and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Sorry." He mumbled.

He threw on his clothes, grabbed everything that would remind Van of him and cleared himself from the room; stealing one last glance at her, normal, safe and secure, before shutting the door for what might have been the final time. There were a lot of moments for him like this since he'd decided to say the big Yes to Michael; moments where he'd stop and try to savour the memory; stick it in his brain somewhere so he could always find it again; he knew he would need all the good memories he could get once he fell down the pit.

**xxx**

Dean arrived back from an all-night pharmacy with a box of diapers and a six pack from the liquor store across the street. Andie and JD were sitting on the floor; JD on a baby blanket looking dazedly around the room, Andie was leaning up against the back of the bed watching him. "What are you two doing?" He asked putting the beer and diapers on the table.

"Playing... I think." Andie replied. "Do you think he's having fun? He doesn't do much, does he?"

"He's having a blast." Dean assured her, crouching down to pluck JD up off the ground and then rest him in his arms; the infants eyes started fluttering closed. "He's tired." He laughed. "He looks like you when you're hung-over."

Andie gave him a fake smile. "Precious."

Humming the bass of ACDC's Back In Black, Dean carried JD to his crib and settled him on his back, patting his chest to soothe him; a recent move he'd discovered helped the baby sleep easier. JD fell asleep quickly; not surprising considering the night he'd had strapped to Andie's chest as she fought off demons.

"Sam with you?" Andie asked through a yawn as she stretched out her legs; enjoying the shiver that rippled over his skin as her muscles flexed.

"No, he took Van home." Dean whispered; backing away from JD's crib so as not to wake him. "Like an hour ago; so I'm guessing they're _in flagrante_."

Andie winced at his bad accent and shook her head. "Lift." She ordered, extending her arms up to him.

"You did good tonight," Dean said proudly as he pulled her to her feet and took the opportunity to hug her, letting his hands fall limply to the small of her back.

"I did, didn't I?" She replied unabashedly, as her dropped against Dean's firm shoulder.

"We should have celebratory sex."

"With JD in the room? Does he _really_ need more weirdness?"

"That's why..." Dean started backing away, pulling Andie along with him. "God invented showers."

"I think that was the Greeks..." Andie mumbled as she let herself be dragged along as deadweight.

"You know who invented the shower and you don't know who the first President was?"

"Course I do. Lincoln; everyone knows that." She'd picked up a lot of useless information in her youth. On the discarded wrappers of fast food burgers or the sides of plastic cups with trivia on them; it was all so random so it just stuck with her. Some people made the mistake of thinking she was really intelligent; not necessarily the case. But if people were happy enough to hear a random fact every now and again and presume she was a genius; she wasn't about to correct them. It would be impolite.

**xxx**

When Sam finally made it back home; the hotel room was quiet and dark. The moonlight cascaded through the room lighting up the crib, JD was sleeping comfortably right beside his parents who were cuddled close on one of the twin beds in the room. They looked like a family. They _were_ a family; and it just made Sam feel more confident in his decision. They had a life; one that he felt lucky to be able to share with them, and if Sam didn't say yes to Lucifer then the apocalypse would wipe out not only his family; but everyone else's, too. And with one decision, Sam could save them all.


	44. A Hard Day's Night

**Chapter 44**

_A Hard Day's Night_

Andie awoke from a deep sleep with a jolt to her chest.

It wasn't an uncommon way for her to wake up; but she could never get used to feeling like someone was jumping on her as she woke, as if she'd be greeted with a demon or some sort of danger when she opened her eyes.

Dean was snoring beside her; a sign he was in a deep sleep. A faint gurgle to her right alerted Andie that JD was awake. She wasn't sure why; he wasn't crying... maybe he just liked being awake at night. Swinging her legs out of bed, Andie padded over to JD's cot and peered at him. He had his hands in fists at his sides and was staring at the bland mobile of blue and pink sheep hanging over his head. When he spotted Andie he started whimpering, so she scooped him out of his bed and sat with him on the floor.

"Ssh, Bug," She whispered to him. "Why are you awake, hm?" His eyes were still glistening, and he smiled, making his eyes seem rounder. Andie let JD hold each of her forefingers in his fists; he was strong for an infant. "I wish I could hear what you're thinking right now..." She mumbled. "Y'know I read that baby's can feel things that the mother feels in the womb... so you probably heard some pretty rotten stuff from me..." She bit her lip. "I didn't want you in my thoughts... anywhere near me, really." She tucked her knees up so JD was closer to her face. "But now... I think that that's over. And I won't let anything happen to you." Her heart was pounding in her chest; she'd never felt a feeling like the one rippling through her. "I think... that... I love you." She bit her lip. "You're too young to understand how hard that is for me to say." JD hummed, Andie smirked. "Wherever you are is wherever I am..." A smile tugged at the right side of her mouth. "And I'm here now."

**xxx**

Hours later when Andie woke up again, she was still on the floor. She sat up and Dean's coat fell off of her. She clucked her tongue; of course he'd chuck a coat over her even though there were loads of blankets available.

Yawning, and shivering, Andie shrugged Dean's coat on and went in search of him. She could see the Impala parked out the front, Sam's rental wasn't there. And his bed hadn't been slept in. Andie figured he was still with Van.

Dean was in the kitchenette sitting at the table, reading the paper, with JD nestled in the crook of his arm. He looked such a bizarre picture of normal that Andie scoffed. "Whatcha reading; Grandpa?" She teased, making a beeline for the paper bags of take-away breakfast on the table. Dean had already polished off a stack of pancakes and a breakfast burrito.

"I think Pestilence is on the move," He said, jabbing his finger at an article in the paper about a sudden wave of chicken pox in a small town.

"Are we getting closer or further away?" She found another stack of pancakes in the paper bag and grabbed a plastic fork.

"Closer, I think. When Sam gets back we'll swing past Bobby's."

"Why?" She cut up her pancakes with the edge of the fork. "Do we need him?"

"No; to drop of you and JD."

"Drop off?"

"Yeah..." Dean gave her an expectant look. "You don't think we can just storm in there with him, do you?"

"No, but..." She felt offended. "_You_ could stay with him."

Dean gave her a withering look. "Andie..."

"What? Want me to learn how to cook and crank out another kid while you're gone?"

"Oh, come on," Dean smirked at her. "You know I couldn't live without your lack of femininity and love of frozen dinners. Not everything needs your feminist attitude."

"I'm not a feminist." Andie pouted, crushing a piece of pancake into smaller and smaller pieces. "I just don't like men."

"Ok; believe it or not, if it weren't Pestilence I would be saddling the kid up myself," Dean said. "But he is one bad horse-mother. And until we figure out how to do this whole fighting-demons-with-a-kid thing, we gotta be careful."

Andie opened her mouth to argue but forced her jaw closed. She hated when he was right. Their son had already been kidnapped once; and that was in their hotel room, not walking straight up to one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. "Fine." She grumbled a moment later.

"Stop moping." Dean said without looking at her.

Andie kicked him under the table.

**xxx**

Bobby had never met JD. He was still confined to a wheelchair, thanks to the apparently un-fixable wound he'd inflicted on himself with Ruby's knife to rid himself of a demonic possession.

Dean had sent pictures, but he was still excited for his oldest friend to meet his son. He would be the closest thing JD ever got to a grandfather.

Andie, still pouting at being left out of the demon hunt, lingered by the Impala claiming to be unpacking their bags as Dean carried JD inside Bobby's ramshackle junkyard home.

"Always thought you'd wind up with girls not a boy," Bobby said with a smirk as he held JD in his lap.

"Why?"

"They say guys like you always have daughters."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Guys like me?"

"Manwhores." Andie answered from the hallway.

Bobby let JD play with the band of his watch. "John'd love that," "His first grandkid named after him.

"Maybe not so much if Andie tells him he's named after John Lennon." Dean muttered, leaning back against the kitchen countertop.

"It's good to have a name that means somethin'." Bobby said wisely.

A loud clattering followed by Andie swearing echoed through the hallway.

"That girl with a kid... oil and water..." Bobby shook his head.

"It's not so bad," Dean had to admit. "She's a lot better at it than she thinks she is; she just doesn't realize."

"I ain't thankin' you for leaving me high and dry with her and a kid so as you and Sam can track down Pestilence."

"She might be helpful..." Dean ventured quietly. "We won't be gone long." He finished. "Just... keep an eye on her, y'know?"

"Course. You do the same with that brother of yours." His tone was light but there was a serious look in his eyes. "Both eyes on him."

Dean gave him a curious look. Keep his eyes on his brother? What else would he do? "Always."

There was a bang in the hallway followed by a gruff "_Son_uva-!" from Andie.

"What is she doing back there?"

"Setting up JD's stuff." Dean replied, checking his phone for a message from Sam. His brother had called him before they'd left their motel saying he would meet them at Bobby's that evening. "Sam call you?"

"No, not since this morning to say he was comin'."

Dean clucked his tongue a few times, wondering if he should call Sam and see where he is. Being a father had given him a new burst of protectiveness for his brother as well as for his son. "Are you good with him for a minute?" He nodded at JD, who seemed quite comfortable on Bobby's lap.

"I can take care of a kid for five seconds, you idgit." Bobby muttered.

Holding up his hands, Dean left the kitchen in search of his wife. "Andie?" She wasn't in any of the guest rooms or on the lower level of the house. There was only one place left to look. And sure enough; there was Andie, setting up JD's bed in the basement's iron walled panic room. "Seriously?"

She gave him a withering look. "It's an ancient house where you can feel the wind through the walls and JD's only protection is me - who has happened to get him kidnapped already, and crippled Uncle Bobby." She gave him a smile that screamed _'Duh_!'. "I'd be an idiot _not_ to sleep in here with JD."

"Sam call you?"

"Oh, unclench. He's fine." Andie said, kicking her duffle bag under the rollaway bed.

Dean sighed and rolled back his shoulders, rubbing a knot in the back of his neck. His eyes caught Andie as she bent over to get something out of JD's diaper bag. Pregnancy had definitely had a positive effect on her body in Dean's eyes; some of his favourite parts of her were now enhanced.

"Stop staring at my ass." Andie said over her shoulder. "You have never been less likely to get lucky than right now in this echo-y cell of a room."

Dean rocked back and forth on his heels, grinning. "Challenge totally accepted."

Andie gave him a bored smile. "You have some predictable _shtick_."

"Hey, my stick is so not predictable." Dean said with cheeky grin.

"_So_ not? What are you, a girl?"

Dean sauntered confidently towards her. "You got a real mouth on you today..."

She half-smiled and attempted to reply. Instead; her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted forwards into Dean's arms.

**xxx**


	45. I'm Only Sleeping

**Chapter 45: **

_I'm Only Sleeping_

"Andie?" Dean shook her in his arms; but she made no sign that she could hear him. She was just limp. "Andie?" Cursing, Dean hooked his arm under her legs and carried her to the rollaway bed, lying her down flat. "Can you hear me?" He felt her pulse at her wrist; it was strong. He listened to her breathing; it seemed normal. Her face was calm. She looked like she was asleep. "Come on," Dean clicked his fingers above her eyes. "Bobby?" He hollered over his shoulder; he could hear JD crying. "Get down here!"

"Oh, har-har!" Bobby bellowed back.

Dean cursed again and bolted from the panic room, up the basement steps two at a time. "Andie's out."

"What?" Bobby was unsuccessfully trying to calm the baby.

"Unconscious. She just fainted in the middle of a conversation. She won't wake up."

"She breathin'?"

"Yeah; she's just," He shrugged impatiently. "Out of it."

JD wailed loudly, Bobby lifted him up towards Dean. "Take your damn kid."

"Bobby?" Sam called as the front door opened loudly.

"Sam!" Dean snapped, taking JD into his arms and meeting his brother in the doorway. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Driving." Sam looked from JD to Dean to Bobby and then back to his brother. "What's going on?"

**xxx**

"Yeah, okay," Sam said into his phone. "Just get here as soon as you can, Cass. Bye."

Dean settled his son into his car seat and put him on the kitchen table. He'd tried to put him in his bed by Andie down in the panic room but he wouldn't stop screaming. "She coming?" Dean had called Cassidy after neither Sam, Bobby or Dean had any luck waking Andie.

"Yeah, on her way." Sam stuffed his phone into his pocket and folded his arms tightly across his chest. "What about Castiel?"

"I called - _prayed_. He's not answering." Dean said, popping JD's pacifier in his mouth. "I tried Ellie but she really only answers Andie."

Sam exhaled, looking confused. "And she wasn't acting weird?"

"Not more than usual." Dean headed for the fridge, and a beer. "I'm tellin' ya, Sammy, it was like someone clicked their fingers and put her to sleep."

"But she's alive," Sam reminded him, clearly trying to stay positive. "So... we just need a way to wake her up. If someone snapped her into sleep, they can snap her back out of it."

"Yeah," Dean muttered sitting back at the table with his cold drink. He gently patted JD on his stomach as his tiny eyes closed. "Don't _you_ stay asleep, little man."

**xxx**

Andie felt like she was in a dream that was way too real.

She was in a desert, nowhere that she recognized. Barren land stretched to the horizon at every angle. No roads; no power lines; no street signs; nothing that would indicate where in the world she was.

Something supernatural was definitely going on. One second she was with Dean in the panic room, and now she was in a desert. Her first thought was that she'd somehow transported herself here, the way Castiel and Ellie and all full-angels were able to. But she couldn't use her other powers at all; and there was an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach that she wasn't completely here.

After circling on the spot for a minute or so, Andie stepped forwards to what she assumed was North.

**xxx**

Dean watched Cassidy use her electrokinesis twice to try and shock Andie awake before he jumped in and stopped her. "She's not a Chevy," He said standing between her and Andie, who was still sleeping on the rollaway bed in the panic room. "You're not gonna jump start her."

"She could have been faking." Cassidy huffed and pushed passed Dean. "Dammit, Morgan, wake up!" She kicked the leg of the bed and flopped down beside her friend.

"Why would she be faking?"

"I'd fake unconsciousness to get away from you." Cassidy mumbled, running her hands across Andie's skin.

"There's the charm." Dean sighed and sank into the desk chair beside Cass.

"She doesn't have a fever," Cassidy said, her brow knitting together as she held her palm to Andie's forehead. "She's breathing fine..." Chewing on her lip, Cassidy turned to Dean. "Maybe we should call 9-1-1?"

"And tell them what? We have a half-breed angel who won't wake up?"

Cass shrugged impatiently. "What else can we do? We can't just wait for something to happen. She's been out for, what, two hours? What about JD? She needs to feed him."

"She went to town with a breast pump before we left the hotel," Dean said. "Dunno how long it'll last though."

"Three to five days in the fridge," Cass pointed at him, looking irritated. "Why don't you two _read_ the books I give you?"

Dean jumped, suddenly feeling like he'd got a static shock on his bicep. "Ow!" He glared at Cassidy. "Unnecessary."

"My control is getting awesome." Cassidy replied proudly. "You're lucky I didn't stop your heart."

"You're... scary." Dean mumbled.

Cassidy just shrugged. "And Castiel is where now?"

"I dunno," Dean ran his hand across his face. "He's not answering. Ellie's not either."

"Hm." Cassidy hummed. "Three angels out of action?"

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. "You think they're knocked out, too?"

Cass shook her head. "Maybe. You have a spell to call Castiel, right? Brings him to you whether he wants to or not? Try it. If it doesn't work, then..."

"Then something is up with the angels." Dean finished.

**xxx**

Andie scuffed her feet along the desert floor, kicking a rock along. She didn't know how long she'd been walking; she wasn't wearing a watch and her cell phone didn't seem to have travelled with her. Every time she tried to count and remember the minutes, her mind would wander and she'd forget.

She was positive she was dreaming. She wasn't hungry or thirsty and she couldn't feel the sun warming her skin even though she could see it shining in the sky. But she had no idea why she was alone.

Kicking the rock aside, bored with her game, Andie looked to the horizon. Her heart lifted. There was someone there! She could make out the silhouette of a man at least a mile up ahead. Speeding up to a run, Andie bolted for the man. When she noticed his dark hair and trench coat she slowed to a jog, coming to a complete stop just a few feet from him.

Hearing her scuffling, he turned around. "Andie."

"Castiel." Andie didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed. "What the hell is going on? What is this?"

Castiel looked puzzled. "I don't know. I was in Budapest ... and then I was here."

"Budapest?"

"Where are we?" Castiel's sparkling blue eyes glanced around the empty desert.

"I was hoping you could tell me." Andie folded her arms over her chest. "I don't feel... totally... here..." She said slowly. "I was talking to Dean and then," She clicked her fingers. "I was here."

"Something feels... wrong." Castiel said vaguely.

"Obviously." Andie deadpanned. "So, this isn't like heaven?"

"No." Castiel replied. "If it were we could leave."

"Andie?"

Spinning on her feet, Andie turned just in time to be engulfed in a hug from Ellie. She still couldn't get used to embraces like this from her formerly-dead-now-an-angel-grandmother; but she'd stopped being as stiff as a board while being hugged.

"What on earth is going on?" Ellie said to Castiel.

"We don't know." Andie said with a sigh. "We're all in the same boat: stuck in a weird desert."

"How can we be on a boat in the desert?" Castiel asked with a sincerity that only he could make so intense.

"It's-!" Andie started, feeling exasperation bubble inside of her. "Never mind." She exhaled. "None of us know why we're here or where here is so...?" She dropped her hands to her side. "Ideas; people. We need ideas."

**xxx**

"We need ideas," Dean instructed as he paced around the room with a book laying open in his hands. He weaved through Cassidy and Sam who were seated on the floor turning the pages of old tomes for information.

Summoning Castiel hadn't worked. They'd tried three times each for both Castiel and Ellie; no answer. Not even a flicker from the candle flames. Trouble was, Dean didn't have a list of angels like he did demon hunters, so he didn't have anyone to corroborate Cassidy's theory that they were dealing with an angelic sleep epidemic.

JD was asleep, too. Albeit not comfortable, Dean prodded him awake every half hour to make sure he wasn't out of it like his mother. JD was half-angel, too, so Dean suspected he might fall victim to whatever had Andie out cold. Or maybe he was too young to have it affect him.

"Okay," Cassidy leant back on her palms to stretch out her back. "Summoning brings the angels from anywhere, right? The world, heaven... so..." She made an annoyed face. "They're not there."

"I don't think it's a demon," Bobby muttered from behind his desk, flipping through pages of an old handwritten notebook. "No demon I've ever heard of collects angels..."

"Andie's human side is alive," Sam pointed out. "I mean, that's why she's just sleeping, breathing and stuff. She needs both her human and angel sides to be, y'know... Andie."

"Very good, Spock!" A new voice called from the kitchen.

Dean spun on his heel, prepared for a fight. Accented male voices tended to get him on edge because more often than not they were demons. This one, however, Dean already knew. Too well. British accent, narrow nose, thin lips always on the verge of an evil smirk and a floor length black trench coat over an expensive looking jet black suit."Crowley."

The former crossroads demon gave the group a sickly sweet smile. "Hello, kittens."

**xxx**


	46. Watching Rainbows

**Chapter 46: **

_Watching Rainbows_

"What the Hell is that?" Cassidy asked, rising to her feet, a sour expression on her face as she eyed Crowley with disdain. "Demons in Armani suits? You look like an unholy Tax Accountant."

"Shush, love," Crowley simpered at her. "Your voice grates on me."

"Crowley." Dean's jaw tightened and his fists clenched at his sides. "Where-?"

"She's alive." Crowley said, holding his hands behind his back and casually striding forwards. "As is your boyfriend, Castiel, and that witchy Grandmother of your wife's."

"Where is she?" Dean asked through gritted teeth.

Crowley pretended to think about it. "Nah," He shook his head." Won't be telling. Insurance, and all. As long as I know where they are and you don't, you won't kill me." He smiled broadly.

"Don't count on it." Cassidy hissed.

"Seriously." Crowley gave her a bored look. "The angry pitbull reaction isn't scaring anyone. Especially from you, you tiny little field mouse." Eyes flaring, Cassidy thrust her palm at Crowley sending her anger through her electric power directly for his chest. Crowley simply held up his hand and the current fizzled before it even reached his skin. "That's the thing with newbies and power." Crowley said, blowing his palm. A puff of smoke drifted off his hand. "It's so predictable when they're going to try and wield it." He cocked his head to the side at her. "However, for an old hat like me," He smiled, never breaking eye contact, knocking Cassidy off her feet as though a rug had been pulled out from under her.

"Hey!" Dean stood between Cassidy and Crowley as his brother moved to help her up. "Don't touch her. Tell us how to get Andie back."

"Where is she? Wouldn't a more interesting question be "_Why is she there_?""

"No!" Dean bellowed. "No games! She can't just be unconscious until we figure out some divine reason why she's gone in the first place! Wake her up!"

Crowley looked unimpressed. "I can't. Honestly, I can't."

"Then what the friggin hell are you doing here?" Cassidy growled as Sam helped her stand.

"Believe it or not, we need each other's help."

**xxx**

Andie fidgeted on the spot chewing at her thumbnail as Castiel and Ellie spoke in hushed whispers. They were still alone in the barren desert with no one else in sight. Andie couldn't help but think of an Albert Einstein quote she'd read on the back of a pack of bubble gum; that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Maybe that's what was happening to her, walking the desert expecting to find a way out for all eternity.

That was until a young woman appeared right in front of her. And it was a woman she'd seen before.

"Hey..." Andie's eyes narrowed as she tried to pinpoint where she knew this young woman, her straight black hair brushed against her shoulders and her sharp brown eyes glinted in the desert sun. "I know you..."

"Belle." She reminded her. "Fellow half-breed?"

"Oh, yeah," Andie had a flash of almost a year before, when she'd been kidnapped and drugged with a poison detrimental to angels, Qeres. Belle was another half-human, half-angel whom Andie had met in captivity. "The doctor told me you were okay." And had then had gone on to tell Andie she was pregnant, which quickly became the only thing on her mind.

Belle gave her a strange look, and then looked to Ellie and Castiel. "What's with the convention?"

"They're-"

"Angels, I know," Belle said with a sigh.

Suddenly Andie remembered why she didn't much care for Belle. It was nice to have another half-breed who understood what she was going through, but Belle was somewhat of a know-it-all. At first, Andie found it handy, she knew much more about being a Nephilim than Andie did. Belle was from a long, long line of half-breeds, whereas Andie was only third generation, relatively new according to Belle. Having been raised by her half-and-half mother, Belle knew all about her abilities and had always known her destiny, a luxury that Andie went without. Her life hadn't been shrouded in secrecy like Andie's, everything was out in the open, which meant Belle was a much more knowledgeable hunter than Andie.

"Do you know where we are?" Andie asked.

"The Astral Plane." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"She's right." Castiel echoed, approaching them. "At least," He looked to Ellie. "We believe so."

Andie felt a migraine twinging at her temples. "Astral Plane?" She repeated.

"It's a plane of angelic existence intermediate between earth and heaven." Ellie explained. "Our physical bodies are there, but our spiritual bodies are here."

"Like Purgatory?" Andie guessed.

"No." Castiel said immediately. "Purgatory holds lost souls for eternity. The Astral Plane is a place where human souls pass through, but they don't remain here."

"Angels do." Ellie continued. "We can travel here."

"I can't."

"That's 'cos you don't Blink," Belle piped up. "You're just telekinetic, right?"

"You know you got a real mouth on you for an angel." Andie smiled sweetly at her.

Belle pouted. "Same to you."

"Andie," Ellie said warningly. "She's right. If you could travel like we do, you'd be able to come here. but your powers are much more useful for your life."

Andie did not enjoy having her powers be defended, but this was hardly the time to get temperamental. "Fine." She huffed. "So why are we here?"

Ellie looked worried. "We're not sure. Like heaven, the Astral Plane is a place where angels can be summoned without notice. To summon us, not just angels but Nephilim as well?" She exhaled softly. "I don't know why that would happen."

"So we can't leave," Andie surmised. "Great."

"There is a reason we're here." Castiel said vaguely.

"Yeah, I'm not doing any soul-searching, literal or figurative, okay? So how can we contact the real... plane?"

"Where were you before you came here?" Ellie asked.

"Bobby's."

"Then that's where we'll go." Ellie nodded efficiently. "The Astral plane exists in tandem with the earthly plane, if we're near your friends we might be able to connect with them in some way, indicate that you're alright."

A thought occurred to Andie. "Why isn't JD here? He's half and half, too..."

"Whose JD?" Belle asked.

"My kid."

"Who gave you a kid?"

"Shut up." She turned to Castiel. "What if he's stuck somewhere out here?"

"He's too young." Ellie said quickly. "We don't even know what powers he possesses yet let alone how he's going to wield them; right now his human half is controlling his soul. He's much safer than we are."

Andie didn't know whether to feel at ease or more nervous. "Not to state the obvious; but where in the desert." She said. "How do we get to Bobby's from here?"

"You'll lead us." Castiel said.

"_What_?" Andie and Belle yapped in unison.

"Your Mental Location." Ellie said. "You see places in your mind."

"So? You two have it as well," She made a point not to look at Belle. "_You_ lead us there."

"You're the only one with a foot in both worlds."

"Ah, hello?" Belle stuck her hand up in the air.

"You don't have Andie's power," Ellie brushed her aside and spoke solely to her granddaughter. "Andie; you can sense where people you care about are, the same applies here. You're mind is in the astral plane, but your body is in the earthly plane. You can navigate us."

Not that Andie didn't enjoy being the chosen one in this little gang of angels, and showing up Belle was proving to be quite a nice bonus, but right then all she wanted was to get back to her body. There was an odd feeling in her stomach like she was in two places at once; which was true but it was still a strange twinging that she didn't like.

**xxx**

In the doorway of the panic room, Dean watched his wife and son sleep, the baby the only one sleeping by choice. They looked peaceful, but Dean wondered if they were. Andie wasn't in her body, wherever she was he hoped she was safe and not being pulled into a million pieces like he had been when he'd been trapped in hell.

"Dean?" Cassidy announced as she came into the panic room.

"Find anything?" Dean asked, not taking his eyes of his snoozing family. After Crowley had mentioned to research the Astral Plane, he had taken off. Literally, in a blink he was gone. Apparently the lack of angels in the world was even sending demons into a tailspin.

"Just confirming what Crowley said," Cassidy said meekly. "Astral Plane is real, but we can't get there. Good news is neither can he, or any other demon. It's a total anti-demon zone."

"All the angels are there?"

"Theoretically." Cass said. "All the ones we know are there. Bobby's looking into why there'd be a total angel recall, full angels and half-breeds alike."

"Sam try summoning Castiel?"

Cass nodded. "Been doing it non-stop. None of the regular ways are working. They can't hear us, we can't summon them... maybe it's just some big angel convention and she'll come back with a gift bag?"

"I should have..." He started, unable to finish his sentence, because there was nothing he could have done. For some reason angels had been called to an Astral Plane, even if he wanted to help he wouldn't have been able to; but that truth didn't make him feel any less powerless.

"If angels wanna talk to angels, there's nothing we can do about it." Cassidy reasoned.

"She was happy today." Dean mumbled. "Should have realized something would go wrong."

"The cornea is the only part of the human anatomy that doesn't have a blood supply."

Dean gave her a blank look. "What?"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Aren't we sharing useless information that is completely meaningless and unhelpful?"

"Fine, you win." Dean turned, recognizing this as Cassidy's attempt at help, and left her to baby-sit.

Upstairs Bobby was buried within the pages of another book while Sam was double checking the sigil he'd written on the floor in white chalk. Dean glanced over it and realized it wasn't the symbol they used to summon Castiel. It was for summoning demons. "What are you doing?"

"If we can't get to the angels, we can get to Crowley." Sam said.

"He doesn't know anything more than he told us," Bobby said gruffly. "And if he did he wouldn't tell us. He's Crowley."

"I take it the research ain't going so well."

"Every religion's got its theories of the astral plane," He said scratching at his beard. "Witches think they can meet their covens there, some people think it's just a state of mind-"

"Andie is not stuck in a state of mind."

"In a way, she is," Sam spoke up. "A part of her mind _is_ stuck."

"Well we need to un-stick her."

"Yeah, maybe..."

Dean turned to Bobby, eyes flaring. "What do you mean maybe? There's no maybe about it."

"Look, kid, I haven't found out anything bad about Astral Planes." Bobby said carefully. "In every myth and religion, it's a place of peace."

"What, are you saying she's dead?" Something suddenly clicked in Dean's mind. "You think they're being protected on purpose?"

"Maybe." Bobby said, rubbing his tired eyes. "Best way to keep all the angels safe is to stick 'em in a plane the rest of the supernatural world can't get to."

"Whose "they"?" Sam asked. "God? Archangels?"

Bobby readjusted his cap on his head. "I don't know, but I think we gotta stop searching for Andie and start searching for whatever it is that's so dangerous it's made all the angels on earth take flight."

**xxx**


	47. How Do You Do It?

_AN - Sorry for the looonnng delay in updates, new obsession with the Walking Dead+Christmas+studying+annoyance with the current SPN season have held the muse up for this one. But Andie's always in my head. Enjoy.  
_

**Chapter 47: **

_Tell Me What You See_

Bobby scratched at his beard as he thumbed through a water damaged book on mythical creatures from the sea. It was a big stretch in his research, and a very thin hypothesis that, like all his others, lead him to the same dead end.

Rubbing his eyes, Bobby yawned and leant back in his desk chair. The Book of Revelations stared up at him. Since Sam and Dean were told they were to be the vessels for Lucifer and Michael respectively, Bobby had been reading up on the so-called battle that would befall the brothers, and all the events leading up to it that seemed to coincide with this apocalyptic timeline. With Bobby's current searches resulting in nothing but headaches, he slid the Book of Revelations in front of him and started to read.

**xxx**

Cassidy fed JD his bottle as she paced around the panic room. It was a strange feeling, being in a room with Andie but with Andie being completely mute and immobile. JD was seemingly normal, he'd woken up from his nap so at least he wasn't stuck in the Astral Plane like his mother.

"Finished?" Cass took the almost empty bottle from JD's mouth. "Please don't spit up on me this time, okay?" She carefully placed JD over her shoulder to burp him. A creaking noise caught her ear, she turned just in time to see the door to the panic room open.

"Yeah?" Cass called out, patting JD on his back. She didn't see or hear anyone, but the door was still swinging slightly on its hinges. After quite a tumultuous few years that ironically began around the time she met Andie, Cassidy wasn't easy to freak out. JD burped, so Cassidy rested him back in the crook of her arm.

"Did you open the door?" She asked the baby. "Hm?" He gurgled and stuck his fist in his mouth. "You will be such a terror when you're older. Promise me you'll make your mama crazy with your powers, ok? But then when you come stay with me, you be perfect." She stroked the back of his head and ran her fingers over the delicate softness of his chocolate coloured hair. "Perfect little man." As she moved to set him back in his bed, the panic room door slammed shut.

The sound made JD jump, and then start crying. "It's okay," Cass jiggled him up and down in her arms and approached the door, slightly hesitant as she grabbed the handle and yanked it open. But nothing strange happened. The door opened as normal. Cass pushed it open all the way and kicked the desk chair across the floor to keep it open.

Above her was a slowly rotating, metal insulating fan that kept the air circulating, but it was barely strong enough to cause a breeze let alone slam a door closed. Cass wondered if maybe Andie was doing it in her sleep. But it wasn't the first time weird, random crap started happening for no reason, and Andie was already randomly unconscious, so...

Heavy footsteps echoed behind her, she spun on her heel as Dean walked casually into the panic room. "Hey," He said, heading over to the trunk at the end of the rollaway bed.

"Were you opening the door?" Cass asked him.

"No," Dean knelt down and lifted the heavy lid off the trunk. "Why?"

"It was slamming closed."

He wasn't paying a lot of attention to her. "It's an ancient metal door, it surprises you that it's broken?"

Cass gave him a withering look that he didn't see. "What are you rummaging for?"

"Andie's on the Astral Plane, right?" He took a stack of books from the trunk and piled them at his feet. "So her spiritual body or soul or whatever is floating around." He pulled out more books. "Andie tell you I was in a coma?"

Cass nodded. She knew about the car accident that had almost killed Dean, Sam and his father. In the end, John Winchester had sold his soul to save his eldest son, giving Dean a gigantic rock of guilt to carry around on his shoulders.

"Well, I was there... but not there," Dean said, shaking his head at the idiocy of his statement. "I could see myself in the hospital bed, I could see everyone walking around but they couldn't hear me. So Sammy," Dean pulled a box from the trunk. "Used this."

Cass raised her eyebrows at the box labelled _Mystical Talking Board_. "A Ouija board? Really?"

"It worked." Dean said with a shrug.

"So you think Andie is just floating around here?" Cass gestured to the air above her head. "Andie would do something more interesting than open and close a door."

Dean frowned. "Maybe she can tell us how to get her back?"

"Or you'll invite an evil spirit into Bobby's house." Cass said with a smirk.

"Yeah, well it can keep the ones that are already here company," Dean mumbled, holding out the board to Cassidy like a peace offering. "Wanna help?"

"I'd rather not." Cass said brushing by him. "I'll keep your son away from all this Satanism."

**xxx**

Andie knew she had been walking for hours, but her body bore no pain of such a hike. Her legs didn't hurt, she wasn't short of breath, and she wasn't even remotely thirsty. It was an apparent bonus for being in an astral-ghost town.

Ghost town never seemed more appropriate than right now. Andie, Ellie, Castiel and Belle were wandering through a deserted street with silent houses lined up alongside the road. Belle explained that on the earthly plane, people would be walking around as normal. Andie understood that, but she got the impression Belle enjoyed the sound of her own voice pointing out the obvious.

Andie found her power worked quite well in the Astral Plane, if not a little differently than she was used to. Normally, she could follow directions like a red light was glowing on a huge map inside her head. However, here it was more feeling than seeing since there was nothing to actually see. A calming warmth spread across her chest when she went in the right direction, and if she veered off track she would grow cold and anxious.

"Hey." Belle jogged into step beside Andie. Castiel and Ellie weren't big on conversation, so by default Andie was forced to listen to her new "friend" ramble on. "If we could switch powers, what one would you want of mine?"

"Is that your passive aggressive way of admitting I'm better than you?" Andie asked.

"Anyone ever tell you you're obnoxious?"

"I don't tend to hang around and ask." Andie muttered.

"You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."

Andie didn't look at her. "Why would I want to catch flies?"

"Ok, I'm done reasoning with you."

Belle kept her mouth shut. Andie thought of Cassidy, the fact that she never shut up was the reason they were still friends. Until Cassidy, Andie was used to people reacting the way Belle did; trying and then getting fed up. Cassidy was different. Andie had hated that back then; now stuck on an astral plane Andie realized she missed her best friend. And she was also realizing that she missed a certain little someone else

**xxx**

With JD asleep in his stroller in front of her out on the front porch, Cassidy was invested in a battered copy of _To Kill A Mockingbird_ she'd found on one of Bobby's bookshelves. She'd never read the full novel back to front, even in high school she'd faked her way through a whole semester of English by repeating what she heard other people say and generalizing what she'd seen in the movie. She passed the class with a B and no regrets.

She'd just turned a page when the first lightning bolt landed. It was so loud that a startled Cass dropped the book on the porch. She'd thought it might rain when she'd come outside, the clouds were gray and gathering, but she didn't expect a storm.

JD seemed to start crying before he even woke up, squealing at the racket that had disrupted his sleep.

"It's ok, buddy," Cass said to him, pushing the stroller back and forth as she kept her eyes on the distance. She saw sheet lightning far off in the distance, but nothing as strong as the bolt that had troubled her. An icy wind picked up and whisked Cass's hair messily over her shoulders, as though a fan had been turned on directly in front of her.

Overheard, thunder rolled in sounding like a herd of horses galloping towards them. Cass wanted to keep her eyes on the storm, but resolved she'd have to do so inside and pushed JD back into the house. Bobby was staring out the window, Book of Revelations in his lap, monitoring the clouds when Cassidy joined him in the living room. "Did I miss something or did that storm just come out of nowhere?" She asked, squatting in front of the stroller to soothe JD, hoping she could get him back to sleep.

"Formed in the last ten minutes." Bobby replied. "Ain't on any weather websites."

"Great." Cass muttered, random storms were a sign of demon activity. And there was no way in Hell it was coincidence it was forming over Bobby's place when Andie lay immobile in the panic room.

**xxx**

Downstairs, Dean tried not to roll his eyes as Sam lit candles in a circle around them and the Ouija board. The light in the panic room sucked at the best of times, and with the sudden clouds made it even darker. Sam figured lighting candles would provide them with better light; Dean just thought it made the whole thing that much more witchy.

Having failed to summon Crowley, Sam had turned his attention to helping Dean. Supernatural communications being somewhat "offline", he didn't hold out hope that it would work. But then again he hadn't when he'd ventured it alone three years before.

"So?" Dean gestured to his brother when he finished lighting candles. "What do we do?"

"Ah, well, I just started talking to you like you were there." Sam recalled. "And you answered."

Letting out a tight breath he'd been holding in, Dean rested his hands on the pointer in the centre of the board, getting a nagging sense of déjà vu. "Ok..." He cleared his throat, feeling foolish. "Andie...? You out there?"

The wind outside picked up, blowing debris against the side of the house. With a strained groan, the panic room door spat wide open, slamming against the wall of the room clanging so loud that it echoed. A gust blew in and extinguished all the candles.

"Sonuva-!" Dean cursed, instinctively holding his hands up to his face.

Something dropped to the floor upstairs, something heavy. JD screamed. Cassidy called for Sam for help.

"What the hell is going on?" Dean shared an anxious look with his brother.

"Keep trying," Sam sprung to his feet. "I'll go."

Dean's heartbeat quickened. He turned to Andie, she still looked peaceful, even more so than she did when she was actually sleeping. He turned back to the Ouija board and tried to ignore the storm. "Alright, I can deal with the craziness," He said to no one in particular. Or maybe to Andie, if she was hanging around. "So let's hear it..."

**xxx**

Surprisingly, Bobby's junkyard on the Astral Plane looked pretty much the same as it did on earth.

Andie had thought maybe it would just be the house in an empty, barren field, but it looked just as it did when she'd arrived the day before. At least, she thought it was the day before. Time didn't seem to move on the Astral Plane. Cars in various states of disrepair littered the area, piles of metal and tires dotted the yard.

"_Andie?_"

It was Dean's voice. Andie heard it up ahead from inside Bobby's house. "Ssh!" She hushed Belle yammering to her grandmother and pulled Castiel to a stop. "I hear Dean." Andie took a step forward.

"_An-die_?" Dean sing-songed.

"I heard that." Belle said.

Breaking into a jog, Andie ran towards Bobby's shell of a house and through the front door. It was bare; some things were there like his moth-eaten rug, but his overflowing bookshelves were nowhere to be seen. Apparently the Astral world could pick and chose how it decorated.

Pausing at the stairs leading up, Andie strained her ears until she heard Dean's voice call her name again. From downstairs. "Panic room." She said making a beeline for the door.

The panic room was completely devoid of all its furniture. Bobby's old desk, the rollaway bed, the poster of some hot chick Andie didn't recognize; everything was gone except a small board off to the right of where Andie stood.

"Don't tell me that's a Ouija board." Belle groaned.

Ellie stood in front of her and nudged Andie forwards. "He's communicating with you." She said. "Go."

Feeling stupid, Andie knelt down in front of the board. "So, what do I do?" She'd always hated these things.

"Put your hands on the thingy." Belle instructed clicking her fingers at the plastic pointer.

Andie did as she asked and rested her fingers on the pointer. Almost immediately, she heard Dean's voice again.

"_Andie?_" He called out to her like she was just a room away.

Not sure how to really answer him, Andie just shifted the pointer over the word _YES_.

"_Whoa... okay... if it's really you, um... what's my middle name?_"

Stifling a frustrated sigh, Andie shifted the pointer around the board.

"_P-U-S-S-; oh, you are hilarious_." Dean deadpanned. _"So, you're okay?"_

_O-K_. Andie spelled out. _D-E-A-D-?_

"_No, all the angels have up and left for some reason. Is Castiel with you?_"

Andie moved the pointer back to the _YES_.

"_We're fixing it_." Dean said to the talking board. "_You're on the Astral Plane, right_?"

_YES_. _J-D-?_ Andie asked.

"_He's fine, Cassidy's here._" Dean replied. "_Look; if you had any hints on what the hell we should be looking for that would be awesome._"

Glancing at the annoying girl to her left, Andie then spelled out _B-E-L-L-E_ on the board, hoping Dean would remember her from the whole Qeres incident.

"_Belle... I know that name, don't I_?"

Andie moved the pointer over _YES_ and made it circle the word to emphasise it.

Then as abrupt as if he'd hung up a phone call on her, Dean's voice was gone. Their line of communication just ended. Andie's fingers pushed the pointer but it didn't budge, she couldn't even feel it between her fingers even though she could _see_ that she was gripping it so tight her knuckled had whitened.

**xxx**

"Dean!" Cassidy bellowed, breaking Dean's concentration.

"Crap." Abandoning the Ouija board, Dean glanced furtively at Andie's sleeping form and then trudged up the basement stairs towards the son of his son's cries. A storm had picked up since he'd been in the panic room, the wind whooshed through all the hanging metal in Bobby's junkyard like heavy wind chimes.

When Dean arrived in the living room, Cassidy was struggling with the baby and handed him over to Dean right away before bolting for the bathroom. Humming the base beat of _Thunderstruck_ under his breath, Dean set JD over his shoulder and walked him back and forth.

Sam came in from the kitchen swigging on a beer. "Storm's crazy. Did you talk to Andie?"

"Yeah, she says she's fine, she's with Cas and she mentioned Belle; that weird half-breed angel chick she met ages ago."

"Just confirms what we know." Sam huffed. "Angels and half-breeds all on the Astral Plane."

"I found something." Bobby said suddenly from behind his desk. He'd been so unassuming the brothers' hadn't noticed he was still there. "The Whore of Babylon."

Dean stopped pacing. That name rang an all too familiar bell in his mind.. "That crazy Leah chick who was possessed?"

"I've been keeping track of the demons we've come up against that appear in the Book of Revelation." Bobby explained. "And in the text it claims that the Whore is killed by a red dragon with seven heads."

Dean's brow knitted together. "But I killed her."

"Right. The vessel for Michael." Bobby said. "That's not a coincidence."

"The beast that kills the Whore in the story; it comes up again." Bobby said. "A woman. Clothed in the sun. In labour." He leant forwards and read from the passage before his eyes. "_And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."_ Bobby looked back to Dean. "The beast is waiting for her to give birth so he can eat her child."

Dean's eyebrows rose high on his forehead. "Eat?" He glanced down at JD, who was staring up at him with his fist in his mouth. "Eat my boy?" An icy chill ran down his spine. "Does it do it?"

Bobby shook his head. "The woman flees to the wilderness, and is kept safe for one thousand two hundred and threescore days. War breaks out in heaven, and Michael comes up against this beast."

"Who wins?"

"Neither." Bobby replied. "Michael stays in heaven, the dragon is cast down to earth and persecutes the woman who bore the child. The dragon tries to kill her, she prevents it. Then he goes after the boy, figuring it would hurt her more to attack her child."

Dean's mind flashed back to a conversation he'd had with Leah. Andie had been pregnant at the time, and Leah spoke of the impending birth like she knew everything about it.

_"Once word is out that there will be baby born of Michael's vessel and a Nephilim; I fear your child will never be safe, not if Lucifer has his way."_

And something else she'd said, something that suddenly fit right into place.

_"She's a vessel, too, Dean. A vessel for your child. That baby is a soldier._"

**xxx**

Cassidy inspected a fading scar under her chin in Bobby's mirror; she tried to remember which particular demon attack or fight had left her with this memento. Shapeshifters? That weird vampire? Opening the car door on her face?

A wave of cold shivered over her skin and made the back of her neck prickle. Bobby's house was ancient and full of holes, cold drafts were a staple. The male figure in the mirror, however, was not a staple.

Cass's gasp caught in her throat. She spun around to see nothing before her, but the image of the sad looking young man burned beneath her eyelids. "Great," Cass groaned and remembered her door slamming episode in the panic room. "Not ghosts."

**xxx**


	48. Dig It

_Another loooonnng wait between chapters, but I hope you enjoy this one :) Contains Van Lancaster, an OC of my lovely friend Selah25 :)_

_Oh, forgive my bad Latin. Thank Google Translate ;)_

**Chapter 48: **

_Dig It_

"Ghosts?" Sam repeated to Cassidy while she helped herself to one of Bobby's cold beers.

"Yes," Cass snapped of the bottle top and swigged down a mouthful. "Ghosts."

Sam folded his arms. "And we're keeping this from Dean why?" Cassidy had gestured for Sam to follow her to the privacy of the kitchen while Dean was busy changing JD and Bobby was deep into his research.

"Because I think the ghost has something to do with Andie." Cass said. "Look, Bobby's research said the Whore of Babylon torments the mother of this prophesied soldier child. But Andie's not just a mother, she's part angel, so everything is screwed up."

Sam gave her a confused frown. "You're saying if Andie were a human, mortal chick we wouldn't be in this mess?"

"Exactly," Cass nodded. "She's such a basket-case she can't even get haunted right."

"But if that's the case, then why is Castiel gone, too?" Sam asked. "And Ellie? Why are they _all_ stuck on an Astral Plane?"

"Well... my theory... is... that..." Cass's mouth just hung open. She sighed and shrugged. "No idea. I thought it'd come to me if I just started the sentence."

Sam exhaled loudly. "Bobby said the Astral Plane was place of peace, right? That Andie's being kept their for safety. Andie's getting haunted and it triggers some sort of angel alert, so God or whoever freaks out and stuffs all the angels on the Astral Plane to avoid some kind of angel massacre."

Cass raised her eyebrows at him and smiled. "You're a genius, Sam. You'd have been a brilliant doctor."

"I was studying to be a lawyer."

"Same thing," Cass gave a disinterested shrug.

"Hold on," Thinking back to his studying days gave Sam a sudden idea. "I think I know who can help us."

**xxx**

An hour later there was a knock at the door. A tense Cassidy with her fists balled at her sides stalked towards the door and opened it. On the porch was Van, one of Andie's extremely limited number of friends she had been able to keep. Van was a Professor, so in Sam's book he figured she would be a good person to call. Then he brought Dean in on their theory about Andie and Cass had been outvoted.

Dressed in form fitting jeans and a black and red off the shoulder t-shirt, Van stood on the porch with her arms folded and a satchel bag looped around her neck. Van was lean and athletic in a way that Cassidy could never be, she envied that. But it would be a cold day in Hell with flying pigs and a black Michael Jackson before Cassidy ever told her that.

"Andie's knocked out and you're being haunted by a Whore?" Van raised her one brown eyebrow at Cassidy. "Am I right or am I right?"

Cassidy kept her face even. "Do I know you?"

"If you want me to wake up Andie, drop the attitude. Anyway," Van knocked Cass in the shoulder with her fist. "I thought we were buds now."

With a frown, Cassidy stood aside and let Van in. "Don't be so sure." She muttered. Having only had a handful of run-ins with Andie's old friend in the past, Cassidy had found they rubbed each other the wrong way. Andie said it's because they were so similar. Cass and Van disagreed.

Cass locked Bobby's front door and joined Van in the living room. Sam and Dean stood side by side, next to Dean was a pram where J.D. was dozing inside. "You can wake up Andie?" Dean was asking as Cassidy came in.

"I don't have to." Van said. "If Andie and all the angels and half-breeds and whatever are being kept safe from this haunting, we deal with the haunting and then Andie should be sent back."

Dean looked at her sideways. "_Should_?"

"I've never dealt with a haunted angel before," Van stood straight. "Have you?" She took the silence in the room as the answer. "Things are different."

"Then why are you here?" Cass asked. "You could have told us all of this over the phone."

"Yes, but I couldn't give you this," Van slid her bag onto the coffee table and unlatched it. She reached inside and pulled out a statue made of stone.

Cass narrowed her eyes at the sculpture. The terracotta stone was about the size of a cinderblock and was sculpted into some sort of demon horse with seven heads. Each head had a similar, nasty looking face of a dragon with its mouth wide open and tongue lashing out in a silent hiss. Riding on top of this creature was a figure of a woman who looked as dainty as an 1700's girl sitting down for a picnic. Her open palm carried a chalice which was not made of terracotta like the rest of the statue, it glimmered and shined in a way that Cassidy knew it must have been gold. The odd turban-like hat the dainty woman wore was made of the same glimmering metal.

"This," Van gestured grandly to her statue. "Is the Whore of Babylon."

"She might be a whore, but she dresses like a pimp." Cass snorted at her own joke not caring that no one else joined her.

"But I killed her," Dean said to Van. "She didn't look like that and sure as hell wasn't riding a dragon-pony."

"You killed her vessel, but she's not dead." Van explained. "Her spirit is haunting Andie, she wants revenge so she's reaching out from wherever she is to mess with you." Van twisted the statue around so the dragons heads were facing away from her. "We have to resurrect the Whore's spirit, banish it into this statue, then break it and bury the pieces on holy ground."

Dean caught eyes with Cassidy for a moment. "And then Andie will wake up?" Cass asked.

Van nodded. "That's the plan," She got to her feet and picked up her statue. "So are we gonna do this or just sit around some more?"

**xxx**

There were few things that scared Cassidy, but summoning demon ghosts was one of them. She also didn't like leaving JD alone with Bobby and Dean when Andie was out cold, but they had to travel to the nearest sacred ground and there was no way Cass would be bringing the baby along. Dean was in the panic room with his wife and son waiting for Sam, Van and Cassidy to complete their ritual.

Sam drove them to a church that had been built on a graveyard. Van lead the way through the tombstones, some of which Cass noted were dated in the 1800's, until they came to a clearing. The ground was mostly dirt with scattered, thinning grass poking through. Van set the terracotta sculpture of the Whore of Babylon in the ground and began drawing symbols in the dirt and setting out candles.

"Are you going to stick around?" Sam asked Cassidy casually as he followed Van's instructions for the order in which he lit the candles.

"When Andie wakes up?"

"Yeah,"

"For a little bit, yeah," Cass said. "Why?"

Sam shrugged and continued lighting candles. "No reason,"

Cassidy got the distinct impression that there was a reason, but Sam was stubborn and Cass knew he wouldn't tell her. Something odd was happening with Sam lately, she'd picked up on it as soon as she had arrived at Bobby's. But with Andie collapsing and JD needing her, she hadn't been all that focused on Sam.

"Okay," Van slapped her hands on her jeans to get the dirt off them. At her feet was an open book and a weathered baseball bat. "Ready?"

Cass nodded. "Let's do this."

Van knelt before the statue, put the book in her lap and gestured to Sam and Cassidy to kneel on either side of her. "We've got limited time to do this, alright?" Van reminded them. "Sam, be ready to beat the crap out of the statue." She handed him the baseball bat.

"I could explode it," Cassidy offered. "You know I'm electro-powerful."

"Yes, but you can't control it, it spurts out at random and at different wattages, so a bat is slightly more reliable." Van shrugged. "Sorry." She took a breath and cleared her throat, then read from the book in her lap. "_Babylon meretrix duce me et verba mea coram te_," she spoke in fluent Latin. "_A plano ubi habitas, tuum iudicium redire. Vobis ultima vale. Vobis ultima vale..."_

The wind picked up in quick bursts, swirling the dirt up in small gusts and making the flames of the candles flicker. Van kept muttering Latin underneath her breath. A small light formed in the centre of the terracotta statue. It brightened, more and more until the Whore of Babylon statue was lit up like a lamp had been switched on. The light pulsed light a dimmer switch was being dialled back and forwards.

"Sam?" Van suddenly spoke in crisp, clear English. "Bat, now."

"Now?"

"Now!"

Sam jumped to his feet and gripped the handle of the bat. "You might wanna duck," He said before taking a huge swing at the statue.

Cass and Van crouched down to the ground as Sam cracked the bat against the statue. A wild scream echoed as the bat broke through the terracotta. A pained scream, a woman wailing in frustration. As the scream died down, the wind slowed, and then when the air was still all the candles snuffed out.

Cass leant up off the ground to see the statue had been successfully smashed into chunks. Van, looking pleased with herself, pocketed one of the pieces. "All of you take a piece and bury it at a church or graveyard. If you want to be even safer, break it a few more times and put the pieces in a bunch of different places."

Sam turned over his piece of the statue in his palm. "She's gone for good?"

"Someone will have to find all of these pieces, put the statue back together and invoke some seriously dark evil to attempt to bring her back." Van packed up the remaining pieces of the statue into her bag. "And I doubt they will, Whore of Babylon is not that big a threat in the scheme of things. She's just a cockroach, you think she's dead but then she scuttles back to life somewhere."

Cassidy's phone buzzed in her back pocket. It was a text from Dean. "Andie's awake." Cass smiled with relief. She looked to Van. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I could have done it, but thank you."

"You couldn't have done it," Van said. "And you're welcome."

**xxx**

Andie had been technically sleeping for so long, but she felt like she hadn't slept at all. She was awake on the Astral Plane, so she hadn't really slept at all. And, as was her life now, the first sound she had heard when she opened her eyes was her son crying for her. She hadn't set him down in the hour since she'd woken up. It had felt completely odd not to be able to hold him for so long. Not that she wanted to hold him all the time, but having the option taken from her was utterly frustrating.

After everyone, including Van, had a dinner of pizza and beer, Andie had returned to the panic room with her son to put him to bed. She was leaning over JD in his pram as he wriggled on his back and made little baby noises. "My little Bug man," Andie smiled at him and ran her finger down his soft cheek. "Mummy missed you just a little bit."

"You are so soft now," Van's voice said softly from the doorway of the panic room. "You know that, right?

"Your barren ovaries will never produce something as perfect as my baby," Andie replied smugly. "So suck it."

"So, you don't find it worrying that when your group is in a bind and needs someone with brains, they call me?"

"No," Andie shrugged. "I'm the brains, and I was unconscious. What were they s'posed to do?" She pulled a blanket up to JD's tummy and tucked it in at his sides.

Van smiled. "It's a good look for you," she said a moment later. "Proud Mama."

Andie's cheeks heated and she didn't look at Van. Compliments on her parenting were extremely weird for her to hear. Andie noticed out of the corner of her eye that Van was carrying her bag over her shoulder. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, I've got pieces of a statue to bury in random graveyards and churchyards all the way home anyway." Van came further into the panic room and peered into JD's pram. "He's really got that cute smushed babyface thing working for him, doesn't he?"

"He's perfect," Andie said, fully aware that she was sure she sounded mental but not giving a damn about it. Her baby was perfectly perfect.

"So, the whole saving your life and putting your family back together?" Van said with a raised eyebrow. "I'm pretty happy to say that you owe me one now."

"Just tell me where you need me and I'll be sure to avoid you," Andie said.

Van mussed up Andie's hair and turned to leave. "I'm laughing on the inside, where it counts."

"Drive safe," Andie called after her.

"I will," Van hovered in the doorway for a second. "Mummy." And then she was gone.

Andie found it oddly easy to suppress her desire to scream out a string of curse words after Van. Instead, she focused on her baby boy. He was making this face that looked like he was smiling, but then he spit up all over himself. "Yeah," Andie said to herself as she untucked her son. "I'm definitely a Mummy."


End file.
